


Two Weeks

by Femalefonzie



Series: Xmen Evolution: Omegaverse [1]
Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: (kinda...does Logan count?), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Arranged Marriage, Consensual Underage Sex, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Erik Logic Is The Best Logic, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hate to Love, Humor, Loopholes, Love Triangles, M/M, Multi, One-Sided Relationship, Set during season two, Sexy Times, Teacher-Student Relationship, Underage Drinking, accidentally in love, big violent kitty, erik tries to be a good father, he fails, im bad at tagging, kurt's insecure, references to archer despite years apart, sabertooth is a big kitty, scott is emotional, sexy dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-07-19 13:07:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 61,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7362595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Femalefonzie/pseuds/Femalefonzie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during Season Two;</p><p>The X-men and the Brotherhood stand as enemies until Pietro presents as an omega and is given two weeks to find himself a mate or else. Seeing as no one else in the Brotherhood is an omega, they are left with no choice but to turn to their rivals for help.</p><p>In the meantime, Sabertooth finds himself without powers and falling for someone he never expected, while his boss Magneto prepares to wage war against the human race and coping with his son's "issues".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

This was dying. This had to be what dying felt like. Pietro 's arms wound around his middle, and he pulled his knees up to his chest. He was laying on his side in his bed, under the heaviest blanket he could find in the brotherhood house, and shaking. His insides felt like they were being torn apart, like they wanted to claw their way out of his chest and stomach and smoosh together on the floor. He started chewing away at his own lips until they were swollen and bleeding, then immediately regretted this decision. Now his face hurt too. 

Maximoffs-Er...whatever his father felt like calling them were traditionally what people called late bloomers. His father hadn't presented until he was nearly 23, a factor in his decision to reproduce later on in life. It was similar for his grandparents, for his great-grandparents, the only break in the cycle had been Wanda who presented as an alpha at the relatively average age of 13. Pietro, who insisted was 15 minutes older despite not knowing himself, didn't present until yesterday morning. Worse yet, he presented as an omega.

It couldn't be right. Maximoffs were alphas, they commanded respect when they entered a room, they were highly strong, graceful but firm alphas! Every last one of them! Pietro had to have been an alpha, that's what his father had been counting on! 

He wasn't. The aching, the sweating, the increasingly painful cramps in his lower abdomen and the building desire to shove someone (or something) inside him wasn't lying. 

He didn't want to though, was the problem. He didn't want to mate, didn't want to get all clingy, he just wanted to eat a shit ton of cheetohs and carry on his life like everything was normal. If his mother was here, she would have known what to do, but she wasn't. Pietro had to remember that. And father wasn't going to be much help. He had sent him a frantic, half-lidded called as he crawled out of his room down the hall to the bathroom with the intention of getting a cold shower. His father answered, but as soon as Pietro spoke he was cut off by Magneto's shock at the situation.

"-omega!-"

The reception wasn't good in the brotherhood house so Pietro hung up after the forth curse word in Polish and crawled on his hands and knees into the bathroom. Freddy and Toad watched half-curious, half-confused, but said nothing. They couldn't smell the pheromones pouring off of him that early. They were only betas. 

Lance and Tabitha however spent the night in the living room, wringing their hands together and making idle small talk to avoid going upstairs. 

Today, Toad and Freddy smelt it. 

They came in together after lunch, Toad on they giant's shoulders and carrying a bag of chips and a can of beer he'd snagged from the fridge. He tossed it to Pietro in bed, but the speedster only growled and kicked them aside. 

"I don't want it!" He told them both firmly, though his growling stomach contradicted him. "Get out!"

Third rule of courtship: display yourself as a good provider. Bring them food and other gifts to demonstrate your ability to take care of your mate and future children. 

Freddy held his hands up, while Toad looked less intimidated. Slimy bastard. "It's not what you think!" Freddy insisted. "It's not-...we don't-neither of us-"

"We're not tryin' ya fuck ya." Toad finished. "First of all, cause that implies a threesum which ain't ever gonna happen. Second cause Wanda would never forgive me."

"Third you're not my type." Freddy added. 

Bastards. Both of them. They'd be lucky to have him! Pietro was a fucking dish! "Then what's with the-"

"Tabitha and Lance are going to fucking cry," Toad explained, a feral grin spreading across his face. He hopped down off his friend's shoulders and made his way to Pietro's bedside. "They're been playing board games for the past four hours to distract themselves from ya...and to stop clawing up the arms of the chairs."

Lance was going to burst a bloodvessel he'd been gripping onto the arm too tight. Tabitha fidgeted for an hour, and tried to remember every other omega she had been considering courting in the past year. They were all beautiful, all better than Pietro, she couldn't give in...

That was an unneeded ego stroke. Pietro sat up, and accepted the offering of food now. All he had to do was send Freddy a look and the big was scrambling to help him out. He scooped the food up and handed it over. Cheetohs. These betas were all right.

"So what you're saying is...I can't go downstairs to get food?"

"Exactly," Toad told him, "and uh...we was hoping for a reward for being so nice ta ya-"

"I WILL RIP YOUR NUTS OFF-"

"No! No! NO!"

Freddy put a gigantic hand on the omega's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "No." He told him. "We want you to mess with the alphas."

Oh? Humiliate his best friend and Tabitha for the price of cheetohs? Pietro grinned, forgetting about his desire for death to claim him for just a moment, and settling back into his role as Pietro. "What do you have in mind?"

"Moan." Toad told him, and the white hairs youth obliged. He did so quite loudly, but made sure they sounded like he was on an overload of ecstasy. Downstairs he heard a loud a groan, and a whimper. This was stupid idea but if he could get a laugh out of it...

"God damn Pietro!" Lance shouted. 

The two betas both laughed, and Pietro did as well...until another wave of pain swept through him, causing him to groan and nearly collapse off the bed. So he may have been able to force his friends to jizz themselves uncontrollably but that was nothing when compared with the pain. He had already taken way too much Advil to take anymore, not that it was doing much good anyway. Heats were always worse when someone presented later, and worse yet, Pietro knew that this wasn't an actual heat. This was just presentation, a sample of what was to come, and usually not painful because they occurred early. Once heat hit him, Pietro knew he truly was going to die. He was going to combust from the inside, or jump off the roof to end his own suffering. How his mother had been able to endure, he would never know or understand. 

No one in the brotherhood was lower than an omega. Pietro was the first. Mystique was an alpha, as were Tabitha and Lance and Wanda, and Fredd and Toad were betas. None of them had prior experience dealing with an omega in general, let alone in a situation such as this. The only people who may know how to help were the X-geeks. Nearly half of them were omegas, and they had all been forced to endure a lengthy class on how to handle situations involving omegas, alphas and betas and issues with their biology. They knew everything necessary for this very situation. 

Toad knew Freddy wasn't going to suggest anything. He still held a grudge against the Xmen for "ruining" his "chances" with the alpha Jean Grey. He knew how much Mystique and Magneto hated them. He wasn't going to be an advocate of the devil. This left Toad with no other option but to suggest it himself. "Yo, I think ya' should get some help with this dawg. We hafta take ya to the dorks."

Dorks were a general term but Pietro knew exactly who Toad was taking about. All he could he think about though was how his father would react to the news of his son crawling to his worst enemies for help? Pietro knew he was already on thin ice, what with how he presented, but also with how inconvenient the timing of his presentation was. Going to Charles Xavier for help...

He owed his father nothing. His father had left him, had separated Pietro from his sister, had broken him down repeatedly, had left him when he needed him, he owed him nothing. This unending need to please his father was getting in his way of taking care of himself. 

Pietro nodded and swung his legs down over the side of his bed. He stood up slowly, feeling rather weak, but was able to steady himself and get secure enough to start walking without getting nauseous. He looked back over his shoulder at Toad and at Freddy and gestured to the door. "Come on then...but uh...if they ask it's because we're desperate."

"We are desperate." 

"Good. Good. Keep to that story." Or better yet.... "Wait we'll get Tabitha and Lance too. Say that we wanted to help the lovebirds get over there." 

"And how will we keep Lance and Tabitha from-"

Pietro grabbed the blanket off his bed and wrapped it around himself until he was completely covered. "Freddy. I'm going to need you to carry me there buddy." Freddy was a big dude. He doubted that Lance and Tabitha would be willing to face him unless they genuinely wanted to court him, and the very thought made him want to vomit. Freddy obliged and scooped him up, careful about where he placed his hands. Pietro was on edge because of this whole mess, and an ill thought placement of a hand on the ass wouldn't help the matter. It was bad enough they had to admit defeat...again. And all because of something beyond their control.

"When this is over I'll buy you dinner for this." Pietro promised him. "You know, when I get the money..." When he stole the money. That goon Evan usually kept his lock just closed over. He was always an easy target. 

The big guy had his back. He had to give him that much. Though when Pietro's heat actually hit there may be a challenge between them. Hopefully not, but they had to be ready. Toad hopped down from the bed, and leaned out the door. "Tabitha! Lance! Get the jeep started! We're going out! Uh...change if ya need to!"

"Fuck you guys!" Lance shouted back. 

~~~~

The only thing worse than early morning training sessions with Logan, was early morning training sessions with Logan when Scott was in heat. Scott made them bearable, he and Jean would make cute little jokes and remarks and make the whole experience fun, and though the two were normally lame enough to remind the younger recruits wish they were in school, compared to Logan they were like a slice of heaven. When Scott went into heat every six months, Jean being his mate, would be off with him. Both unable to train and leaving the others to endure the blunt of Wolverine's wrath. 

Everyone was there today except for the happy couple. Logan had managed to wrestle them all out of bed and get them in line for a hike around the woods. Something...slow to start off. The Canadian alpha was ahead of the pack, occasionally snapping at the others to keep up, while the others followed emitting a loud variety of groans and moans. 

At the back of the pack, trailing behind and goofing off to themselves, were Kitty and Kurt. 

"-he's probably crying." Kitty said, "Scott gets so emotional in heat."

Her German friend nodded in agreement. "He vas on the tail end of a heat vhen I first got here...I found him crying one morning over the shamvow commercial." And that was on a good day for Scott in heat. "Jean iz probably petting his head vhile he criez over ridiculouz thingz." 

Evan was directly ahead of them. He laughed, quite loudly, and alerted Logan to his stragglers. The alpha stopped and let the middle of their pack pass him and waited for the three troublemakers to catch up. He grabbed the three of them by their collars. 

"Unless Scott's emotional shit has something to it that we can use against Magneto, I would advise the three of you to quit yapping about it!"

"...yes sir..."

"...zorry Herr Logan..."

"...wasn't talking about Scott. Just listening..."

Satisfied with himself Wolverine released the trio and returned to his position at the front of the group. 

"Ugh," Kitty groaned. "What is it with alphas and bossing everyone around? He and Rogue and Jean, Lance and Tabitha, they're all so...so..."

"Rude?" Kurt, her fellow omega, supplied. "Obnoxious? Reeking of anger and egocentricity?"

"On behalf of my status, hey!" Evan complained. "Okay, so a lot of us are jerks like Lance or these buff guys like Logan and Sabertooth but most of us are alright. And unlike you guys we don't flip out every six months over something stupid."

Evan was a strong fighter. He could kick ass, he could take names, but he could not pick his battles for the life of him. Kitty and Kurt both glared at their younger teammate, fire spitting in their eyes, and before he even had time to scream Evan was knocked to the ground. 

"Get off! Get off!"

"Take it back!"

"Say uncle!"

By now most of the others had stopped and turned back around to get a good view of the fight. Logan managed to go another couple yards before realizing that he was alone and going back to see what so damn fascinating. 

He really didn't understand these children. 

Kitty, Evan and the Elf were looking at early morning training sessions with him for the next month followed by cleaning the X-jet until it sparkled! Why did teenagers want to touch each other so much!? How hard was it to keep your hands to yourself?!

"Alright and just what the hell do you think you're-" The communicator he'd taken with him when he left with the kids this morning buzzed on. The professor was on the other end, operating at out cerebour at the mansion. 

"Logan, I'm going to need you all to return immediately. Something had come up which demands our attention."

Somebody better be dying to make him cancel his session. Regardless, Logan complied. "Alright. Give us a couple minutes." And on that note he shut his comm off and turned his attention back to the kids. "Pack it in. We're going back." A couple of them cheered and the Canadian mutant made a mental note to make them run triple laps later in the danger room. 

"Stop celebrating! We're still running back! Half-pint! Porcupine! You two up here with me where I can keep an eye on ya!"

Kurt was quiet when it was just himself. No kitty, no Evan, no problem. The group waited until the two were right alongside their mentor before taking off once more. Kurt remained at the back of the group, wondering what the hell Logan's issue with him was. For weeks, whenever they'd been goofing off, Logan would always assign blame to everyone except for the fuzzy dude. It sounded like the opposite of a problem, unless you were the one beings taking the blame for "surprise-taco-feista-night" in the danger room. It is was almost like...he didn't want to punish Kurt. Like he was too innocent to have done these things. It was unusual and getting on his last nerve. 

Kurt started to run in hopes of catching up with the group when he heard rustling in the bushes a couple yards to his left. Curiosity got the better of him, and he approached slowly with caution. Whatever it was, it hadn't been here long and it sounded like it was in real trouble. 

He kept walking until he got to a small dip in the land, surrounded by brush and small trees. Kurt wrapped his tail around the trunk of a tree to support himself and peered down over the edge. What he saw down there was something he never expected. 

Sabertooth was a cruel, evil man. Logan drilled that message into their heads everyday. He was the one person they had been told to never talk to, to never try and reason with, because he had no reason. He was simply...an animal. He was also laying face down in the woods, bleeding in numerous places, his clothes tattered, with one foot locked in a bear trap. 

"Oh my..." Kurt mumbled, and wondered why Logan hadn't been able to smell him. The blood? Would Logan be able to tell whose blood it was, or would he just smell the iron? The noise alerted the man of another's presence and he groaned against his will. Kurt couldn't help it. He felt a tug at his heart. 

"Hang on!" He called down to him. "I'm going to get you out, ja?" Hopefully you want slash my throat open after I do. 

Kurt removed his tail from around the tree and slid down the side of the incline. Sabertooth said nothing, but that may have been because at this point he was focusing all his energy on not dying alone in the woods. He was still breathing, his back moving up and down in a rhythmic pattern, but he was making no other movements. When Kurt got to his side, the man's started to twitch as he recognized the scent but again, he didn't move. 

"Okay. I'm going to take the trap off your leg first, ja? Then ve'll see about bandaging you up." If Logan didn't come back looking for him, found Sabertooth and killed the both of them in a fit of alpha-isque rage that was. If Sabertooth had any objections to the plan, he said none of them and remained completely still. He had already figured out whose scent it was coming down the hill, he knew who was giving him assistance, but at this point the man was desperate. It was better the blue kid than Wolverine.

When, and assuming he was up for it, Kurt had a large amount of questions he was going to have to ask. Why wasn't Logan able to smell his foe in the area? How'd Sabertooth even get there in the first place? Why didn't he fight his way out as he usually did? There was a lot of issues with what Kurt had stumbled upon and he was going to need answers. Rather than spend a good couple minutes fumbling around with the metal jaws and chain, Kurt held the feral creature's shoulder and teleported them a couple feet away. They were still off the main trail, on the off chance that someone came back looking for their teammate, but they were not in a dense area. Kurt was going to have to be quick. 

He rolled the man onto his back first before starting anything else. Sabertooth's eyes were darting all around the place, and his breathing was shallow and rapid, but he again remained quiet and made no effort to fight Kurt off. The elf took this as a chance to try and clean him up and set to work. 

Sabertooth's clothes were in rags. The pantleg that had been caught in the trap had been shredded and barely clung together. Kurt was able to rip it off him and use the cloth for make-shift bandages. "It'll work until your healing factor kicks-" his eyes wandered back to Sabertooth's leg. There were gapping, dirty cuts from where the teeth of the trap had punctured his skin. By now they should have stopped bleeding, have patched over like with Logan, but they weren't. They remained open, oozing blood, and sore. 

"I...it's going to hurt to put these on but you may bleed out othervise." Kurt warned him. "Just...don't take me out vhen it stings-"

Sabertooth reached up and took the tattered cloth from Kurt. He sat up slowly, his eyes locked with Kurt's bright yellow ones, and without braking eye contact, secured the poor excuse for aid on his leg. He stood slowly, stumbling and struggling to adjust to the new changes going on with himself, and finding little pleasure in doing such. Finally, once he was stable enough that he felt he could run back to his base of operations without collapsing, he offered Kurt his first and only oral response of the encounter. "...thanks..."

And just like that he was gone. The feral man sprinted off back into the woods and put of sight. Kurt watched him go, and wondered if he was going to regret helping him out. 

No, he could never regret saving a life. Even if it was Sabertooth. 

Kurt teleported as far back to the institute as he could so he could catch up with the others. 

~~~~

If there was one thing Charles Xiaver knew well it was his former friend Erik and his family. He had been present when Erik had presented as an alpha, when the twins had been born,...Charles was a constant figure in the family even after Erik went completely batshit crazy and tried to murder a bunch of people. Call him sentimental, but Charles believed traces of his friend were still in there and could be reached if given time and patience. In the meanwhile, he had decided that he would do all he could to help accommodate the children of Magneto, seeing as they were both in need of countless therapy hours. Long story short, Charles Xiaver did his best to take care of Pietro and Wanda. This happened to include helping them with their statuses.

He'd known that one of the twins was going to be an omega, though he was never certain on which was which. Guess Pietro answered that for him. 

He came in with his entire crew. Freddy was carrying him almost bridal style, avoiding touching his ass and upper thighs, while Toad rode along on his shoulder and Tabitha and Lance lingered along behind them both looking uncomfortable and looking around anxiously for some of their friends on the team. 

"Sup professor? Where are the, uh, others?" Toad was the first to speak. He typically was. 

"Out training but they should be back momentarily."

Pietro could feel the color rushing to his face. "You didn't have to tell everyone..." He didn't have to tell anyone. Charles Xiaver was an omega. He would have known how to treat the Maximoff boy on his own. This was just his own way of being cruel. 

"Pietro," Charles said, as if the one word alone was exhausting him. "This is going to be big. You're going to get a lot of...attention if not given proper warning. I'm still debating whether or not we should press our luck this way or just drop you off somewhere remote with enough supplies to last your heat."

Camping? Again?! "No way!" He was never going to survive out there without his reality tv shows to hold his attention! "I'll...whatever. Bring on the nerds, let them all know..."

The hostility towards the omega status had to be the result of his father's alpha-isque attitude, as he had always had it, but Charles would deal with that later. At the moment he needed to be helping yet another teenage mutant come to grips with who they were. Usually this was more about their mutations though...

The new recruits were told to circle back around and go straight to their rooms. No wandering, no sneaking off, no eavesdropping, this was to be kept between the more senior members of the team for the time being. For once they followed orders to a T and left to go flip down on their beds and complain about their beast of an instructor until he needed them again. The others, Kurt, Kitty, Evan, Rogue, Beast, Logan and Storm assembled in the entryway to see what the big fuss was about. 

"The speedster?" Logan snorted in disbelief. "I had to cancel training for someone who isn't even on our team?!"

Good god, Pietro knew a lot of alphas with anger or other emotional issues...

"He's in need of our assistance-"

"So?" Evan asked, and crossed his arms stubbornly in front of his chest. "In case you've forgotten, we don't like Pietro."

"In case you've forgotten," Lance interjected and took a menacing step forward. "I'll crumble this place to the ground if you don't back off and help him!"

"What do you care about 'Tro? Hasn't he been nothing but a pain in the ass to you since he got here?"

"Gentlemen please," Teenagers were so high strung, so emotional. The Professor was beginning to see what exactly Logan meant when he said he was glad to have been done with his own youth. "You can discuss it this matter throughly later. At the moment we need to be assessing Pietro's situation."

What situation? It wasn't like he was going to explode any minute from some strange stress-related ailment! Pietro rolled his eyes, and pull d the blanket he'd wrapped himself in further up over his head. He wasn't in the mood to listen to this.

Luckily for him, Tabitha seemed to feel the same as him. "He's in heat, it's not like he's gone nuclear!"

"Not yet. This is still only presentation....and given how strongly this is, it's clear that his heat is going to be...well...for lack of a better word powerful." Charles had heard stories, not recently but still prevalent, of omegas with such strong heats that they attracted any unmated alpha or beta for the next few miles to their side. This lead to the unfortunate brutalization of more than a few people, as well as "turf wars" between the alphas and betas. There were a lot of dangerous, single people in Bayville. Ones who would be unable to resist when Pietro finally reached that point. "So a plan of action is necessary."

"Get him a mate." Kitty suggested, and her arms looped around Lance. This was a claiming motion, so Pietro wouldn't take her suggestion and snatch him up on her. Anyone else would be fine though. "If they consummate it before his heat hits no alphas will come. He'll loose potency." Her cousins had experienced a similar problem a few years ago and that was what their parents had down. 

Find a mate....Shadowcat wanted him to find a mate, a forever commitment, at the tender age of 16 (1). No way! Not only were his selections for a possible mate at this time slim at best, the speedster had never even considered settling down, let alone so young! And what would his father think?! No, fuck Magneto. He wasn't going to be any help, he could watch his only son get married off. 

...

...If they had a ceremony after, which was still common even in this modern age, Pietro would make sure it was Jewish. That would keep his father happy enough...

What the hell was he thinking?! No mating, no ceremonies, nothing! He wasn't doing this! These X-freaks were nuts! He turned to the girl, and gave her one of his best death glares. The one he learned to mimic from his father. "No! No way!"

As someone who never considered his chances of ever finding a mate in his life slim, and coming from a fairly traditional community (I.E.: if you're not mated with at least one child by 23 you're probably never going to be), Kurt was confused. "Vhy not?" 

"Well it's a bit fast don't ya think?"

This comment earned Pietro a couple of snorts and giggles. 

"Is there a part of your life that isn't?" Rogue asked


	2. Chapter 2

Working for Magneto was a shit job. When he wasn't bitching about something that happened decades ago, or whining about his kids, he was sending his little minions out on jobs that were more likely to get them killed than help with their cause. Victor was always his first choice for these nearly suicide missions, and because the man had nothing going on for him otherwise, he agreed every time. On the latest mission however, something went wrong. Victor could remember running around the sewers under Bayville, and something shiny flashing before his eyes, and then nothing. When he woke up he was covered in blood and tattered clothes, with no healing factor, and more than one person chasing after him.

He'd been on the run ever since.

Somehow he ended up near the Runt's stomping grounds, and that damn Wolverine had been expecting him. Set bear traps off the paths used by his students, pit falls, snare traps, the works, and Victor had been doing his best to avoid them...until he ran right into one just a couple yards from the grounds. His senses were starting to dull too. Whatever had happened to him in that time he blacked out couldn't have been good. It wasn't like he was loosing everything that made him a known and feared individual.

Victor lost track of how long he'd been in the trap. A couple hours at the least, a couple days at the most. Then that kid showed up, and for whatever terrible "goodie-goodie" reason, he set Victor free.

Nightcrawler, that was what he suspected the boy was called. Young, scrawny, barely a negative thought in his head, reeking of purity. He followed Logan around like some little lost puppy, kinda looked like one too, and was always there whenever Victor tried to take that mouthy little shit down a peg. From what he had seen the boy and the runt were friends. He couldn't understand why he would bother to help the guy whose soul desire was to destroy his buddy.

Once he was free from the runt's little rat trap Victor returned home. He had a small cabin, nice and cozy, not far from the Brotherhood house in case Magneto ordered him to check in on Mystique or his kid. Victor hated that job the worst. He was a lethal killing machine, not a damn babysitter. Even in his absence it was untouched and still smelled like him, like home. Victor immediately went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, preparing to scrub off weeks worth of dirt and muck from his skin and inside his hair. First though, he had to check on his wounds. Sitting on the edge of his bathtub and straightening his leg out, Victor slowly started to peel off the pieces of cloth Nightcrawler had torn off his pants to form a bandage. He winced and hated himself for it. It had been years since he gave a shit about pain. A little puncture on the leg shouldn't have hurt this much for him. The bleeding had stopped, and it didn't look infected, but they were scaring over. Another thing that hasn't happened in years.

"Shit..." Victor mumbled. It was going to be at least another week or so before he could walk without a limp. Worse. If that kid hadn't found him and decided to let him go.

Huh. Guess he owed the little blue boy. Runt's elf...

Once the bandages were off Victor set to work removing the rest of his clothes and climbed into the shower, enjoying the warm spray of the water against his skin.

~~~

Despite their collective protests all members of the Brotherhood were brought in to the infirmary for a quick physical. Also against their wishes, they were joined by their new "allies". While they all meant well, solidarity and such, the Brotherhood didn't wish for them to know just how, urm, unsettling their eating patterns and bodies were.

Tabitha volunteered to go first. That girl wasn't the least bit shy, taking both her personality and her status as an alpha into effect. She had also spent the least amount of time in the house, and hadn't had to endure most of the shit the boys had. She hadn't gone without food as long, and was still of healthy weight for a woman of her height and age. Her upbringing, while strained, hadn't subjected her to physical abuse and her body was free of scars. At least to what they could see. The girl would later tell the group that she had a nasty one from when her appendix had been removed as a child, but this could still be considered normal and didn't seem to be comparable to the others.

Freddy went next. As far as his physical went it wasn't anything that anyone hadn't expected. Most of his body weight was attributed to his muscle buildup and low metabolism. He kept quiet, kept his line of sight directed away from the others. All he could think of was what the others at school had said when he first showed up. Understandably he wasn't comfortable being shirtless around the Xmen.

Seeing how much Toad and Pietro squirmed as it got closer to their turn, and feeling a strong urge from his alpha side to protect his friends, Lance volunteered to go next. He kept a stern face throughout the investigation. While everyone looked over the scars he had on his back, while Xaiver and Beast mumbled to each other about what little body fat Lance had compared to a normal boy, the boy just stood there with a straight face. It wasn't anything he had never heard before.

Toad had less. It wasn't uncommon knowledge that the boy was all skin and bones but seeing it up close wasn't a fun experience. His ribs, the bones that made up his spine, they were all visible. Beast said something about years of malnutrition to his employer, but the conversation was quickly dropped to be picked up again at a later time. As much as he hated being put in this damn situation in the first place, Toad was grateful for that but was even more grateful when he was told he could put his shirt back on.

Pietro went last and for once he didn't complain about his placement.

The speedster never liked doctors. When he was a kid his teachers had essentially forced him to see specialists each year about possible ADD or ADHD treatments, and given his involvement with sports and undying need to be the ultimate best at everything he tried, Pietro broke and twisted a lot of things. This felt different though, it felt intrusive. Like his teammates (with the exception of Tabitha) Pietro removed his shirt and averted his eyes to the ground. Just think about basketball. Just think about basketball....

Both Xaiver and Beast took part in the inspection. They asked him questions too. Basic shit like when the presentation started, if he was taking any suppressors, if he was or had been sexually active in the past two years....all of which Pietro answered. The questions weren't the hard part.

"Yesterday morning, no, yes...-"

Xaiver stopped for a minute. Something seemed to have surprised him. Pietro hadn't even suspected that was possible before now but something had definitely caught him off guard. The professor sighed, "This is...most unfortunate."

"What?" Bad enough he was an omega, Pietro didn't want to even think about what else could be wrong. Cancer?! Could telepaths sense cancer?! "What's wrong?!" Did he sound scared? That wasn't what he was going for there.

Sometimes situations spun out of control too quickly for certain solutions to work. Sometimes people had to settle for what was going to work at that time. Pietro was in one of those situations.

"Well...for starters the pain which you are feeling as side effect of your presentation should subside sometime tomorrow, along with the presentation itself-"

"So I'll be normal again?! That's good news isn't it?! Why-"

"Pietro," Xaiver kept his voice firm while he spoke. The boy was under stress and he was always interrupting people to begin with, but they weren't going to get anywhere with him blurting things out. "The worst is yet to come. You've already seen how, urm, attractive you've become. Tonight it is going to reach the highest point. You're going to be in danger. That and given how quickly this process is transpiring for you, you have about two weeks until you go into heat."

"Tw-Two weeks?!" He was supposed to find someone and fall in love in two weeks?! The speedster groaned and flopped backwards onto the examination table. He stared up at the ceiling, contemplating a plan of escape, and wondering if he could run nonstop for an entire day without his heart giving out. No. That was stupid. Even for him. "Fuck."

There was already too much pressure to contain themselves around Pietro for Tabitha and Lance at the brotherhood house. They lived in such close quarters, their walls were paper thin, and their friend hadn't even reached the peak of his presentation yet. Neither of them wanted Pietro, and frankly he didn't want them either, but they wouldn't be able to hold it together tonight. Not without help.

Kurt and Kitty exchanged glances before coming to a decision. Scott would still be out of commission for at least a couple of days, and the professor would be far too busy to help the speedster along every step of the way. Someone needed to be there for him, and it looked like it was going to be them. Kitty sat down beside Pietro on the examination table and gently pulled him back up into a sitting position. "Come on now, it's going to be alright."

What did she know? She wasn't in a literal fuck or die scenario. Pietro shot her an icy glare and stubbornly folded his arms in front of chest, not saying anything. She didn't have to deal with this kind of Maximoff bullshit.

"Perhapz Pietro should ztay vith us?" Kurt suggested. Ignoring the looks he got from Evan and Rogue, he continued. "If zomething vere to happen top knotch medical care is just down the hall. Not to mention ztaying in a zteel enforced room may be useful tonight."

If what was coming was enough to scare the Professor, it was enough to drive anyone out of their right mind. Alphas and betas alike. Quarantine should be enough, just for tonight.

"We're not leaving him here!" Lance growled, "And we're not letting him join up with your little team!"

"Yeah dawg, Pietro's ours! Whether we like it or not!"

Such kind words...Pietro was really beginning to wonder why he put up with these guys for so long. They had their moments, he supposed. Not that a little bit of bonding time over beer and cheesy porn streaming at 2 in the morning was going to help him.

One had to admire the brotherhood's loyalty to each other even after all they had been through. That and their convection. They may not have been standing on the right side of the law but the group stuck together and dealt with their struggles as best as they possibly could. Xaiver could respect that. Hell, he could admire it. "There's no need to fuss gentlemen. The institute has more than enough room to accommodate the five of you until this matter is resolved."

Evan shot his mentor a look that suggested he was going to vomit. "But Professor-!"

Staying at the Xaiver institute hmm? There were certainly some upsides to that. Clean, hot running water, a plethora of food to accommodate all of the brotherhood's needs, heating, clean beds to sleep in, lights that stayed on all night...then there was the juiciest perk of all. Unlimited access to all of the X-dorks training exercises and information! Mystique would claw off her own face just to get close to that little dossier.

The brotherhood didn't even need to discuss it with each other.

"Hehe alrighty. Suppose we could spend a lil'time lurking around this place-"

"-Wasn't much going on at home anyway-"

"-miss hot showers-"

"-needed groceries-"

Well wasn't this nice? He and his teammates were going to be chilling with the enemy and living it up in the Xaiver mansion. You know what would have made it a lot nicer an experience for Pietro? If he wasn't in constant pain and on the verge of a goddamn shotgun wedding with someone who hadn't even been decided on yet! He sighed to himself and thought about calling his father again to see if he'd calmed down any.

~~

Victor thought about that kid the entire duration of his shower. It was hard not to when he was scrubbing away at layers of filth and grime built up on his skin, and realizing that if the kid hadn't gotten involved, there would have been more. If the kid hadn't gotten involved when he did, hell, Victor would have bled out back by the institute and end up some trophy on the Runt's mantle. The kid...Kurt? Victor could distinctly remember someone calling him Kurt before. He owed this Kurt. Really. And Victor hated being in another person's debt.

Why hasn't he ever really noticed this Kirt before now? Sure the kid was small, for a male, but he was fairly distinctive looking. Quite frankly he was a beautiful young thing. Such feline beauty, a trait Victor could admire, but also on the wrong side of this fight and too chummy with Logan for it to end well. It was a shame. If they had been on the same team, or even just the same side, Victor may have taken the kid for a ride. Teens liked fast machines and sex...Victor could give him both. He bet that tail could be put to some creative uses.

Something felt wrong thinking about the kid like that but Victor couldn't explain what that was or why he suddenly cared.

He'd been out of the shower for half an hour and relocated to the kitchen to grab some food when the food started to ring. Knowing it could only be one person and that this was going to be a long chat, Victors pulled a chair near the wall phone and made himself comfortable before answering.

"What do you want?"

There was almost a growl on the other end. "You've been gone for how many months and that's how you decide to greet me?! Where the hell have you been-?!"

"Tied up." Victor glanced down at his leg, scanning over but still sporting a nasty and sore scar. "I'm better now. So what do you want Magneto?"

"My son," The other man hissed. "My son has presented as an omega! Do you know what that means?!"

"You have to break your girl outta the nut house if you want a proper alpha heir?"

"This is serious! The boy is becoming a walking time bomb! Drastic action must be taken-!"

Victor yawned and started batting at the phone chord absentmindedly. He was far more in touch with his feline self than he'd ever like to admit. "So? I woulda thought you'd use this to help yer cause. Marry the boy off to someone with cash or power or something and use the connection to fund your little mission-"

There was silence on the other end, then, a loud clang. Victor guessed that his employer had broken another phone in half again. Whatever the reason he knew he wouldn't be hearing from Magneto for a couple days. He could use this sudden spare time to figure out what the hell had happened while he was blacked out, and what was happening now.

~~

Omegas could not give in to a primal instinct to mate when presented with another omega either in heat or in their presenting stage, the same way family could not do such directed at other family members (aside from their mates of course). They would respond to that omega with sympathy and support as patterns would show. This was why Shadowcat, Nightcrawler and Magma ended up spending the night in the danger room with Quicksilver.

Pietro would be given a real rooming assignment later on. Tonight he was going to be put under lockdown to ensure his own safety, and nothing was more secure at the institute than the danger room. Once the four omegas were inside, the Professor shut the door behind them and punched in a new code. Only he and the four spending the night knew it so it would be impossible for someone consumed with desire and out of their right mind to enter. The safety and security of the room was the only thing it had going for it. There were no beds, no way of getting to a bathroom of the urge came in the middle of the night, and all their supplies for the night were brought in by the three others. Sleeping bags, a small amount of food and some drinks, and painkillers curtesy of Kitty.

Pietro didn't tell her about all the Advil he'd ingested at home and downed two immediately after the door was shut.

"They're high strength." Kitty explained, and handed him the bottle to use as he pleased. "Should kick in a minutes once the pain really sets in."

"This... _isn't_ the painful part?"

Kurt and Amara, who had been setting everything up so they could sleep, both looked up. The room fell silent, the speedster waiting for an explanation and the Xmen waiting for a punchline. Surely this was some bizarre joke being put on by their rival...

Pietro popped the cap off the bottle and took another two pills for good measure.

Amara's knowledge of quicksilver was limited. He was in none of her classes at school (if he showed up), he was on the opposing team so she couldn't hang out with him, and they had no friends in common. She knew his father was Magneto, that he and Evan hated each other, that he had super speed and know she knew that he had absolutely no knowledge about omega biology despite being one himself. "So, uh, Pietro how does all this feel?"

What the fuck kinda question was that?! Pietro rolled his eyes, "Painful. It all feels quite painful. Any surprises there?!"

Amara decided to chock that little remark up to raging hormones and not toss Pietro out into the hallway. "I meant, like, the mating thing and staying here in the mansion."

Oh. "Well...hot running water is a nice change." He'd rather not talk about his possible permanent commitment approaching rapidly and the consequences of not going through with it right now. The very thought of it made him nauseous and no one brought a bucket. "Too bad I can't use it."

"Grab a showver tomorrow before class. I doubt zat the professor could get upset vith you for keeping us vaiting." Kurt suggested. He'd claimed the spot nearest the doors so he'd be the first one out to get breakfast in the morning. It was common knowledge in the institute that if you weren't in the kitchen by eight in the mornings than Bobby and Jamie were going to eat every pancake and waffle in the freezer in a matter of mere minutes. It was scary how quickly those two could put it away. Kurt wasn't going to risk that again. He pulled a pillow back behind his head and started to get comfortable. "So, uh, I know zat ve aren't exactly on great terms but Vhat do you know about being an omega?"

Earlier he hadn't been joking. It was obvious Pietro's knowledge, and the brotherhood's knowledge of omegas, were strained, but it couldn't have been too bad. There had to be some existing knowledge that they could work with so the two teams could settle back into their routine of fighting, bickering and the occasional prank war or team up.

The color rushed to Pietro's normally pale face and he looked down at his sneakers. "Well...uh..." He sounded so slow, so stupid, when he got flustered. Pietro hated it. This was so goddamn embarrassing. "...An omega goes into heat every six months during which they, uh, become incredibly fertile and...and horny so they have a bunch of sex with their mates and become, uh, incredibly needy and sweaty and, uh...uh, the omega becomes incredibly submissive and-"

"Pietro," Kitty sat down on the sleeping bag she'd brought suddenly feeling exhausted. She spoke slowly and gently, as if she was speaking to a child. "You're describing how an omega acts in cheesy pornos."

"O-oh..." Thank god. "Than I guess...I don't really know. I always thought I was an alpha. It just never occurred to me that I should look into this sorta stuff." Up until a couple months ago Pietro's whole life revolves around basketball and doing whatever he could to please his father. Preparing for what may happen was never an option for him. "Can I just...sleep? It's been a long day."

Talking to the X-dorks wasn't going to solve anything tonight. They couldn't put off his presentation or his heat, and they would only be useful as support tonight. Things would be better in the morning, that was what he had to keep telling himself. No one stopped him from crawling into the sleeping bag that had been brought in for him and turning his back on the rest of the group. He really didn't understand them, understand the sincerity behind their kindness. It wasn't like they were friends, like they would be affected in any way if he was brutalized. It was something they, seemingly, had in common with his father.

Pietro fell asleep with a feeling of dread embedded deep within him. Whatever Kitty had given him was kicking in. He didn't feel like clawing his own stomach anymore but he could feel his body betraying him and succumbing to the effects of presentation. It may have been painless but the experience was one of the most uncomfortable things he'd ever had to endure.

_Mate. Fuck. Breed. Mate. Fuck..._

His head was swimming, planting thoughts and trying to trick him into submitting to biology. It was this rapid fire of unsavory suggestions which triggered a dream that left the boy sweating and panting and forcing himself awake. His sleeping bag was damp with sweat and, erm, other fluids as a result of the dream- No, Pietro corrected himself, of the nightmare. Anything that sick could only be considered nightmarish. He rolled over and found himself face to face with a very much awake Kurt Wagner.

"So...have you alvays had a crush on Lance?"

"Wha...?"

Kurt just smirked, "You talk in your sleep."

That dream...

Cool hands roaming up and down Pietro's slim body...A snarky comment about what "daddy" would think of this...Pietro whining and embedding his fingers deep into a tangled mop of shaggy brown hair as he called out his partner's name...-

"JESUS!" Pietro wasn't going to be able to look the other boy in the face for a month! "N-no! I don't! I mean I-"

"Iz okay! I vas just kidding! Zoes dreams happen to omegas all the time vhen they're not mated!" Kurt laughed, "During my first week here I had zis wunderbar dream about mizter Logan...they don't mean anything! They're just your omega zide trying to find a mate!"

Mister Logan...Hearing the alpha's name certainly got a part of Pietro excited again. He crossed his legs hoping Kurt wouldn't be able to tell. "I don't want to know that Kurt."

"I'm just trying to help-"

"Well don't. It's not necessary. After the little classes chrome-dome deals out I assure you that I will be able to handle this myself-"

Something rammed into the danger room door from the outside causing the Speedster to jump. "What the fuck was that?!"

"Zat," Kurt said, with a sudden surge of cockiness in his voice, "Vould be Vhat the professor vas varning you about. Probably Lance since you vere vhining his name a bunch."

Whoever it was they rammed into the door again.

"Um...they can't...get in right?" Pietro asked, and hoped he didn't sound as pathetic to Kurt as he did to himself.

The fuzzy elf just grinned, "Ve'll just have to vait and see!" He shut his eyes and rolled over so his back was to Pietro. "Goodnight!"

The person outside the danger room tried once more to brake down the door with no success but that did nothing to settle the speedster's nerves.

"Kurt! I changed my mind! I need your help!...Kurt? Kurt?! KURT?!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: canon typical violence later on.

Scott knew that he always tended to be slightly out of it when he finally was out of heat but something was seriously wrong here.

He and Jean had finally emerged from his room after spending nearly a week eating junk food, watching sappy movies, having sex and just generally comforting each other. After enjoying a nice, hot breakfast composed of oatmeal and the first of the pancakes, the happy couple ventured down to see if the rest of their teammates had started training that day. They found Lance Alvers, Tabitha Smith, Jamie, Rogue and Evan asleep together in a huddled pile outside the danger room.

"The fuck is this...?" Scott asked, and gestured to Tabitha and Lance. "When the hell did they get into mansion?"

Jean simply shrugged. "I don't know.. I've been with you...I don't think there's training today though."

Scott ran his tongue along his lips, debating whether or not he wanted to comment after putting Jean through yet another Nicholas Sparks movie marathon to stop his sobbing, and came to the conclusion to let this one slide. He'd force some answers out of Lance or Evan when they got up. "Want to get some coffee then? See what everyone else is up to?"

"Sounds good," Jean said. "We should go though before this lot wakes up and we have to hear about...whatever the holy hell this is."

The pair locked arms and went back up to the kitchen. It was exhausting enough trying to get a handle on Scott's constantly shifting moods during heat. Both lacked the strength to deal with this without excessive amounts of caffeine.

~~~

Somehow Pietro managed to fall asleep even with who he suspected to be Lance nearly knocking down the door, Tabitha and Rogue moaning at him, and that little punk Jamie repeatedly screaming dirty talk that would make a porn star blush. Luckily the dreams stopped after that little ditty about him and Lance. He woke up early the next morning when Kurt gave his shoulder a gentle shove,

"Hey! You avake? Pietro? Pietro!"

Pietro swatted the other boy's hands away and whined, "I was! What do you want?"

"You made it through the night! Aren't you happy?!"

"I'm jumping with joy." Spending the night in the danger room only reminded Pietro why he hated camping. Sleeping on the ground, being kicked in the middle of the night by other people, and the occasional fart whose origin could not be placed. His back hurt, he could do about another five hours of sleep, and that clearly wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Pietro glanced over at Kitty and Amara and saw that they were both still asleep. School wouldn't start for another couple hours and whatever A/B/O dynamics class the professor was going to be held after regular classes. Time to take one of the mansion's showers out for a test drive.

The speedster stood up, stretched, headed to the door and punched in the lock code. "Well this has been fun and all fuzzy but I think I'm going to find a bathroom and-" wait where were the bathrooms? Did every room get their own? Pietro spent most of his collective time in this place in the danger room so he really didn't know. "Hehehe...Kurt?"

"Do you vant me to escort you there?"

"If you don't mind."

Kurt snickered a bit to himself but got up regardless. He and Pietro stepped out of the danger room and both nearly tripped over the mountain of people gathered outside. "What the fuck?!"

Oh. It would appear that they stayed the night too. Pity. Pietro had been hoping to spend the day as far away from any alpha as humanly possible.

Surprisingly, Jamie was the first to respond to Pietro's sudden presence. He bolted upright and pressed his index fingers together sheepishly. "Gee Pietro...I don't know if you remember but I said some things last night that could not have been very pleasant to hear. I'm sorry about that really."

He sounded like a kid, like he should be back in elementary school instead of high school (granted he was a freshman). It was hard to imagine him saying anything that could be considered explicit but once you heard this kid call you a _hot little slut_ it was hard to forget it. For once in his life, Pietro decided to be the bigger mans and forget about it.

"It's...alright Jamie. I know you didn't mean it-"

"Oh no, I meant it. It's just you shouldn't have had to have heard it."

Instinctively the color rushed to Pietro's face which twisted up into a snarl. He pushed the youngest member of the X-men out of his way and stomped off before the kid could say another word to him. Whoever he ended up sleeping with in two weeks, he'd rather take his chances out in the wilderness than be anywhere near that little freak. He stopped when he got to the end of the hall and realized Kurt wasn't following him, "Kurt, c'mon-"

The fuzzy dude was staring at the group of alphas completely void of any emotion. Not that he seemed to have many in the first place. Pietro had seen him upset and happy before but not much else. Kurt seemed to snap out of if when The others started to stir, and even stuck around for a bit to help everyone back on their feet, but Pietro had seen what had happened and now he was curious. He wanted to have answers before he was sold off.

Lance groaned and rubbed at his head where a large bump was beginning to form, "What happened last night...?"

So it was him trying to knock down the door! That bastard! Serves him right! Pietro smirked, pleased to see kumupins being dealt out, and leaned against the nearby wall. "You tried to break into the danger room using your head. Don't worry though Lancey, your girlfriend has plenty of painkillers that will help with that. You could probably use some midol too."

"When I can see straight again, I'm going to kick your scrawny white ass..." Another jolt of pain surged through the alpha's head and he couldn't help but groan and loose focus. Looks like he was going to have to speak with Beast again before school.

Evan was the last one up and aware of his surroundings. The former youngest Xman sat up and rubbed some sleep out of his eyes. This wasn't the first time he'd woken up outside his bedroom, it most likely wasn't going to be the last, but why was he here? The last thing the porcupine could remember he was crawling into bed and heard something funny coming from the hall and-

His eyes fell upon Pietro and everything clicked. He knew why he was down here and the mental images he was getting from it were not pretty ones. It took every ounce of strength Evan had to keep from screaming and bolting upstairs before anyone could stop him. He had to play this cool, casually, like Rogue and Tabitha. They knew why they were outside the danger room but neither were saying a word about it. Rogue and Tabitha were not people Pietro hated completely, however, so as with all of Evan's plans, playing it cool backfired. The pair accidentally locked eyes, and Evan prayed inside his mind for once for his rival to just let it go and walk away.

"Ughhhh! Spyke?! You too! Does the phrase 'I hate you' mean anything anymore?!"

Time to face facts, the chances of Pietro ever letting Evan off the hook for anything were about the same as Logan getting laid. Time to buck up and defend his honor. Evan rose to his feet, brushing some dust off his close quickly and making sure whatever funky omega thing the speed demon had done to him last night was completely worn off. Standing up and telling his enemy to go fuck himself while sporting a boner wasn't going to help his case. Once he was certain he was in the clear there, Evan pushed his way out or the little alpha group with his sights set on Quicksilver. He stopped, glaring up into Pietro's deep blue eyes, and in the calmest voice he could muster said, "I'm sorry but I'm not interested in dating trash or whores so looks like you're out of luck."

"Evan-!" Someone snapped, and the 16 year old could have sworn he felt a small tremor as he got into the elevator. Lance was trying to scare him into apologizing but it wasn't going to work. Just because Pietro was going through something right now, didn't make him any less of an asshole or make Evan want to be his friend again.

Once a dick, always a dick.

~~~~

Well, Pietro had been called a whore twice, had the shower of a lifetime, and found out just how many of his friends and enemies' would try and take him as a mate if this damn thing wasn't resolved and it was only 8:30. And they said he wasn't productive.   
  
Nightcrawler had followed him around the entire morning. Pietro wasn't sure if this was some kind of unity thing, all omegas sticking together or whatever, or some silly plot to let the Xmen in on whatever his father was up to, but he couldn't get the guy to go away. When the speedster had tried out the showers this morning (mindblowing by the way) the other sat outside and talks to him through the door, at breakfast he sat beside quicksilver at the table, and now he was insisting on walking to school with him. Walking, why walk at all when you got all those awesome X-cars? Their garage was completely stocked and Kurt wanted to walk.

Pietro didn't get X-men. They all had to be insane. Irregardless, Kurt seemed to be the only other omega genuinely trying to improve Pietro's condition and he may be useful in the future. Say if Lance tried to bust into his room in a fit of alpha-induced lust. So, despite the plethora or luxury vehicles at their dispense, the two walked to school by themselves.

It was an uncomfortable walk to say the least. Pietro had plenty questions to ask about this morning, as did Kurt. Why had the German froze up like that in the hall? What did Evan mean when he called Pietro a whore? Who had he been sleeping with? Why couldn't they have gotten anyone else to come with them? Finally, Kurt decided to break it. He was known, after all, as one of the more friendlier and outgoing members of the X-men, and it wouldn't be much of a reputation if he didn't live up to it.

"So...you've had...sex before ja? Like, vith another person?"

"As opposed to having sex by myself?" This A/B/O dynamics class couldn't have come at a better time if at sixteen year old boy couldn't understand the concept of sex. "Yes. I've had sex before Kurt. You were in the infirmary. You heard me say it before."

As a devote Catholic Kurt was repulsed at the idea of premarital sex however, as a teenage boy who grew up in a household which was conservative in this manner and now had access to this once restricted material with ease, he was curious. Obsessive even. He wanted to know what it felt like, why people did it, which position was most comfortable, etc. A thick blush spread across the boy's face and he ducked his head to avoid making eye contact. "Vow. Like, actual sex or just...you know-"

"Nonpenetrative sex?" Pietro asked, and took the time to kick a nearby rock off the sidewalk. "Yes. I've had both types, with different people. I have been sexually active since I was 14 years old. I've had oral and anal sex before. You going to stone me for that?" Pietro made sure to keep his tone light and fun when he said that last part. The last thing he needed was Kurt jumping ship with a little less than two weeks until doomsday.

Kurt felt as though he may die if second hand embarrassment. He couldn't even say the word penetrative! "Ne-nein. I vas just vondering how...I mean why...-"

The poor guy looked like his head was going to explode. Kurt's face was getting so red, he was nearly purple, and his hands actually were beginning to shake and tremble. He fiddled with the strap of his image inducer, desperate for any distraction from the actual conversation. Pietro couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. What in the hell was this little fuzzy creature going through?

"Nightcrawler? Kurt?"

"Vhat does..." If he couldn't spit the words out to someone he didn't even care about, Kurt was never going to be able to say them to anyone. He was going to be stuck like this forever! The German sighed, and took a deep breath before finally blurting out what was on his mind. "Vhat does sex feel like?!"

"What?! Wait a sec', Nightcrawler, are you telling me that you are a _virgin_?!"

The boy in question covered his face with his hands so his new charge would be unable to see just how badly this was ruining him, but still confirmed this little accusation with a nod.

"Wow." Pietro was at a loss for words. He really had no idea what to say. "I...had no idea that those still existed. What? It come with the whole Catholic German thing?"

Strange enough Pietro felt sorry for the guy. One of the joys of being young and stupid was getting to experience some real fun with little consequences before sobering up and joining the rest of civilized society. That included having sex with multiple partners long before you settled down (as long as all parties involved were consenting). Kurt had none of that. What with his appearance and the tendency of conservatives in Europe to overreact to anything different, Pietro felt safe to assume the kid didn't get out much before he joined the X-dorks. No drinking on weekends, no sudden trips to the nearest theme park with his buddies while high as a kite, hell, the guy may not have even had friends! And definitely no sex.

Touchy subject or not, Pietro figured it wouldn't be hurting anyone to answer. "It's uncomfortable, even painful, at first but then it gets so good, so quickly. It's the best! No other way to describe it! Just the best!"

Exactly what Kurt had been expecting. He couldn't say that he was surprised. "O-oh. Ja. Cool."

"It's a huge thing though man. Be careful getting into those situations." Not that he should even care. Kurt could just teleport away if things started to turn south on a date, and even if he couldn't, Pietro had no obligation to care. For whatever reason, (omega's intuition maybe?), he felt nauseous at the idea. "Hey, so since I answered your questions how about you answer one of mine?"

"Oh? Ja, ja. Go ahead."

"What was that deal in the hallway? How come you were starring at all those morons?"

Morons. Plural. Pietro had nearly every single alpha within the mutant community giving into their primal sides and knocking down his door for the right to have him under their arms. Lance had nearly bashed his head in trying to get close! It was beyond immature to be jealous of all the attention Pietro was getting, given it was unwanted by both parts, but he couldn't help it! Kurt had been eligible for becoming a mate for two years (in accordance with German mating laws) and had never so much as been given a second of attention from an alpha or even a beta! He wanted it all; the cheesy romance, the big family, vacations with matching shirts and dorky Christmas cards, but he was never going to get it! Alphas didn't want him, they wanted cute omegas like Pietro. Try explaining that to the speedster though. Kurt just laughed to himself, and lazily stretched, "Just...vondering a few things. Like if all those verlierer Vould be as excited vhen it's time to study for midterms."

The irony of a member of the Brotherhood being the one to tell the truth while an X-men lied was not lost on Pietro. At least he learned that Kurt couldn't lie to him. "Or if one was going to try and punch that V-card right?"

" _Pietro_ -!"

"No need to lie about blue. We're both men here," Both men. Both omegas. Both sons of evil mutants bent on world domination. They had more in common than Quicksilver had once believed and yet they were almost entirely different when it came to their personalities and beliefs. The snowy-haired youth grinned, and couldn't hold back a short laugh. "Look at us. The whore and the virgin. Quite a team up huh? We could create a show about that premise. Drive around in an old RV and solve murders."

The day that happened would be the day Kurt willingly crawled into a clashing purple and pink dress and heels and dyed his hair red. The show sounded like something he would watch with Scott after school. Perhaps it could stand. With a little improvement of course. "Maybe after gym class, Ja?"

That was one way to kill the mood. Pietro's grin vanished and his attention was turned once again on his feet. His sneakers were certainly getting old enough. He'd have to snag a new pair from the footlocker in the mall. "Oh...yeah...that's first period today huh?" With all the other sophomores and the upperclassmen who hadn't bothered to get the credit yet. The lowest rung of the high school social groups. Most of them single. All of them going to know. "Will I get kicked out of the mansion if I skip?"

"You gotta go! Kitty has the period off to help set zings up for the dance next veek! I need someone to talk to!"

Dance? Another one of those excuses for teens to spend their limited amount of cash on clothes they'd wear once, flowers that would die in a week, and expensive foods. It wasn't a brotherhood scene. There was no way any of them would be caught dead there. "You mean they're having another one of those things? Great. Just great. But uh, I guess if it's just going to be you against the horde of drooling Neanderthals and one over compensating porcupine than I can lend you a hand and stick around. For the sake of your sanity."

Kurt snickered but didn't say anything that would make the speedster change his mind. They got to the school just as the majority of the student body with driver's licenses started to pull into the parking lot to claim the good spots. Scott's car was in its normal spot, the omega sitting on the hood and chatting with his mate and a couple other housemates. Kurt considered joining them, but knew Pietro wouldn't be comfortable in that particular circle, and decided he could talk to them all at lunch.

"Come on," he told the other. "If ve get to the gym early than ve can get out of the locker room before it gets crowded."

Couldn't argue with that logic. The less time he had to spend in the change rooms the better. Right now the last thing they needed was some perverted alpha watching them as they changed.

~~~~

There was a small window in the boy's locker room right out in the area where they changed. It was high enough that the school staff and students believed no one would be able to peak inside. No one without serious parkor training and heightened sight. From his hiding perch in a nearby oak tree, Sabertooth was able to use both skills to look into the locker room and watch. He'd been following the two omegas all morning.

Pietro Maximoff and Kurt Wagner, the son of Magneto and the son of Mystique, walking along and acting like they could have been friends. It was an unusual sight to say the least. Victor had been careful to hang back and keep enough distance between himself and the boys to remain unnoticed, but even from there he could still smell them both. Erik hadn't been kidding when he said he had a problem with his kid. Pietro smelled so fertile, so ready...Victor had noticed a couple cars actually pull over and watch as the teen strode on by. Even he, a man with many years of experience when it came to pleasing omegas, had to admit that the kid was hot.

Kurt, however, smelled better.

Purity clung to the boy like a second skin, but it was being tainted by the boy's own fertility. Like Pietro his body was ready for an alpha, ready to be out to use, and it was seemingly crying out for Victor to fill that slot. To be that alpha. It was tantalizing. It was nearly enough to make the man's primal side take control...and yet there was that feeling of wrongness again. That he should not think of Kurt in that way. That the kid was too pure for the role of an omega. That Victor was insane for even thinking of such things. Perhaps he was. Sanity was never really one of his high points.

Whatever was happening to Sabertooth, he couldn't explain. He wanted the kid, but he also wanted to protect him from danger, and from himself. So he did the next best thing. He would protect him in general.

Kurt changing without any knowledge of Victor's presence was just a happy coincidence.

The big cat watched in a half-dazed state as the boy pulled his brown shirt off and tossed it into his locker, followed by his red long sleeve sweater. The kid was lean, slender, and the idea of that tiny body writhing beneath him was enough to make Victor purr. He watched mesmerized as the boy pulled a gym shirt on, and fiddled around with the buttons of his pants...

And that was enough. Victor shook his head violently and pushed himself back off the tree branch he had claimed and into a thick area of brush below. This was a kid! A kid who he owed his life to! A kid with little to no romantic experience and who would never be able to handle someone like him. The Canadian Big Cat had to get a grip on this situation and fast!

...

...the kid was going to be in his boxers, it wasn't like Victor was going to be getting a good long look at his ass! At a speed that would make Quicksilver look slow, Victor scaled back up the side of the tree and returned once more to his hiding spot. Just as Kurt was tying to the drawstring to his gym shorts. Damn!

"-we're outside today. On the soccer field-"

"-Floor's being buffed-"

Victor overheard the two omegas talking. So gym class was outside today huh? Looks like he was going to get a show after all.

~~~~

Kurt managed to keep Pietro's mind off his impending doom by kicking a soccer ball from the gym supply bag around with him while they waited for the rest of their classmates to arrive and for an actual lesson plan to be handed out. Their instructor sat on a bench at the edge of the soccer field, taking a break from dragging equipment outside and keeping a watchful eye over what little class he had at the moment. One by one, the two were joined on the field. Evans and his skater buddies arrived first and upon seeing Pietro already there, went to the opposite side of the field to avoid having to talk to him. Pietro ignored him as he always did. Shortly after there came a slew of giggly sophomore girls, a couple members of the school's football team and then came the burn outs. They were a lot harder to ignore.

One whistled as they passed by on their way to the bleachers to lay about until they were forced to do something for a credit. Another grinned wolfishly and gave the boy's ass a little squeeze.

"Hey what the fuck?!" Pietro snapped, and spun around and to punch his assailant in the face. The older boy just laughed, and wrapped an around the shoulders of one of his friends.

"Told you he was an omega!" He said to the other. "And what a fine looking omega at that!"

"Ha! Like you have a shot with him Teddy! Cutie like him wants a real man. Like me!"

Pietro hissed and ducked behind Kurt. "You wish! Get away from me you losers!" Kurt could keep these guys away right? Teleport them out of there and back to the mansion? Who cares if anyone saw them? He had to get out of here...

The one who grabbed at Pietro's ass, Teddy, chuckled and took a menacing step forward. "Aww. C'mon baby-"

"He's not your baby." Kurt stated, "And I Vould advise you to take a couple steps back."

"Uh huh," the other alpha rolled his eyes. "And what are you going to do about it there Scrawny? I could bend you in half!"

He could. The older boy was a lot taller than him and Kurt felt safe to assume a lot stronger. He looked around for their instructor, hoping someone would see what was going on and take control of the situation, but the man was gone. He must have wandered back inside to collect more equipment. Wherever he went, Kurt and Pietro were on their own.

Across the field, Evan was laying about in the grass with his buddies just watching the clouds roll by and listening to the sweet songs of the birds. One of Evan's friends, a sophomore from his English class, rolled over onto his side and caught side or something out of the corner of his eye. The boy sat up slowly, and brushed some dry grass off his shirt before asking, "Hey Ev...isn't that your buddy Kurt over there with Teddy and Phil?"

"The burnouts?" Evan asked without even looking up, "No way. Kurt knows better than. To mess around with either of them-" they were both around 19, both on the fast track heading nowhere, both alphas and, worse yet, both completely oblivious of what huge losers they were. Kurt was smart to keep as far away from them as possible...

"Back off! Leave us alone! I'm not going to say it again!"

As if on que, there was Kurt's voice cutting through the silence. Evan bolted upright and saw the German, just as his friend had described, facing down two of the biggest douchebags in school with Pietro Maximoff.

"...Really?" Kurt was getting along with Pietro for less than a day and he already had the poor guy squaring off against future red-flag warnings. Evan sighed, told the others that he would be back soon and headed over to break the scuffle up before someone ended up dead. "Fucking Maximoff man..."

Teddy was grinning wildly, looking Kurt up and down and then licked his lips. There was a hungry look in his eye, one that gave Kurt unpleasant chills, but he couldn't back down. Pietro was shaking. His hands reached forward and clutched the back of his new alley's gym shirt, watching on anxiously as Kurt defended his honor. He wanted to run, to take Kurt with him and run until they reached the mansion, but he couldn't. People would see. These dicks would know. He wanted to do something, anything, but he just a couldn't think! Luckily for him, Kurt had some idea of what was going on through his head. He could tell that the speedster was in no position to defend himself.

"Hey, you're kinda cute actually. In a really dorky way. Me and you could have a lot of fun together!" Teddy grabbed at him, made an attempt to stroke Kurt's cheek, but the younger male was onto this game and stepped back. This action earned him a harsh slap across the face, " ** _Little bitch_**! Just who do you think you are?!"

It took more will power than Evan even knew he had to keep from launching a spike straight through Teddy's neck. He started to sprint, his face twisted up in a snarl, "Hey you-"

There was rustling in the bushes next the field, an enraged roar and a blur of yellow and browns. Teddy and Phil were knocked back off their feet, both screaming and kicking at their assailant with no such luck. Soon everyone was seeing red. Slashes appeared upon the two alphas' bodies faster than could be seen. It was as if someone with sonic speed, like Pietro, was attacking them but it couldn't be. The Maximoff boy was still cowering behind Kurt.

Evan took this time to check up with his friend. Kurt was still standing after being slapped, but his hand was up grazing his cheek which had turned an ugly shade of harsh pink. He was chewing on his lower lip to avoid letting out any sounds of pain in front of the two dicks responsible.

"Kurt-?"

"I'll be..." The boy winced as more stinging pain spread throughout his cheek. "...I'll be...alright Evan. Quicksilver? How about you?"

Pietro didn't say anything. There was a faraway look in his normally cool blue eyes. Evan thought about saying something to him, about telling him to scram, but he hadn't seen the other boy like this before. To his surprise, Pietro's grip on Kurt's shirt actually tightened and he moved closer as if to hug him. He didn't. Maximoff didn't hug.

An agonized scream reminded them that Teddy and Phil were still being torn apart at an alarming speed. A final slash was delivered upon Teddy's face, followed by a thunderous roar. "You will **_NEVER_** touch him again! Understand me?! You will never touch the one known as Kurt again or I'll rip your throat out and make you watch as I eat it!"

Teddy tried to answer but blood bubbled up in his throat and slurred his speech. His assailant took this as a yes and rose slowly. Whoever he was, he was layered up, with only his eyes visible to the trio of mutants as he turned and disappeared back into the brush where he'd come from. His gold, intense eyes...

" _Sabertooth_...?" Kurt mumbled to himself. It had to be...but how? But why?

"Hey coach! We're going to need some help over here!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jamie is an alpha, purely for the absurdity of it. Along with his, erm, dirty talk. That is all I have to say. I hope you enjoyed reading about Victor Being in an emotional hell where part of him wants to bang Nightcrawler and another wants to protect the sweet cinnamon bun at all costs, Pietro getting a reality check and Evan being petty but still a good friend.
> 
> More to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank all of the lovely readers who have left comments on this fic so far. I honestly did not expect such a response, and I have to say that reading your comments is always a high part of my day. Thank you so much for being awesome guys! 
> 
> Oh, and to answer a question, there will be an M scene in the next chapter. So bare with me, okay? This will be one of the first ones I've ever written outside an rp before. 
> 
> And also, I'm really glad that everyone agrees that Jamie has a dirty mouth.

"-Classes at Bayville High came to an abrupt halt today following a rogue animal attack which has left two students in critical care. The students, identified as Theodore "Teddy" Winston and Philip "Phil" Glass were conversing with classmates outside while they waited for their instructor to return and start the lesson-"

That was enough. Charles turned off the tv and tossed the remote onto his desk. "They're saying," he said, and turned around so he was looking into the faces of the students who had witnessed the attack. Pietro, Kurt and Evan stood in a line in front of his desk, each shuffling anxiously or fiddling with something on their clothing to keep from blurting out any unnecessary details. They looked like they had all been caught with their hands in the metaphorical cookie jar. "- that it was a cougar attack. That the claw marks and attack patterns match. Any thoughts boys?"

Lying to Professor X was impossible. After a year in his care, Kurt had learned that particular lesson repeatedly. It was best to not speak directly about subjects you wanted to keep hidden. "Not right now," Kurt said. "I zuppoze that...they....were attacked by ztanding too cloze to the edge of the woodz. Coach Varner uz before"

"Uh huh." There was definitely more to this than Kurt was letting on but Xavier hated having to pry into the minds of his students without permission. The truth would come out sooner; either from Kirt when he was ready to talk or another. Xavier could wait. "What about you two? Evan, Pietro, what did you see."

All three knew damn well what they had seen. The issue laid in getting them to talk.

"A blur," Pietro finally spoke up, his first words since he had been left speechless at the field. "Just this big yellow blur. It moved so quickly....had to be a mountain lion or something."

"Yeah," Evan agreed. "Mountain lion."

"Uh huh." A mountain lion? Just prowling around public schools in the Bayville area? Yeah because that made a lot of sense. Regardless; Xavier would let the boys go for now. Whatever they were hiding would come to surface eventually. "Well then I'm just glad you're all safe. You may go now, but remember we're discussing A/B/O dynamics around 4."

Wonderful, Pietro thought, right before dinner.

~~~~~

With nothing else to do for the next couple of hours and nowhere else to go, Kurt and Pietro ended up going back up the blue dude's room to hang out for a bit. Evan left them as soon as they were discharged from Xavier's office, grim but promising not to say anything about what had actually happened. Not until Kurt figured it out. Kurt's room was bigger than the living room at the Brotherhood house. Bigger with higher ceilings too! For once Pietro didn't feel cramped being in a bedroom! He flopped lazily onto the bed and gestured for Kurt to join him, "C'mon fuzzy!"

Kurt obliged and dropped down beside him. "That vas scary. I almost thought I vas going to get grounded again."

"For what? Wasn't your fault. Those two assholes had it coming-...its just weird that it was Sabertooth who decided to be the one up dish it out." It wasn't like his father's minion had ever cared before if they all got their asses kicked or went and got themselves in a bad situation. Then again it was hard to predict whatever Victor was going to do. "Do you have any idea what that was about though?"

"Not a clue." Kurt lied to him again. Pietro could see it in his eyes. "Vhat I don't get iz...He could have....I mean it'z just..." The boy shook his head. "I don't know man. I don't know."

What had happened had been confusing, even frightening, and it wasn't as if Pietro had been much help. He didn't even understand his own damn actions anymore! Under normal conditions Pietro could have kicked those dicks' asses, could have spun them into days of futures passed, could have pulverized them and he just...froze. No, worse, he froze and hide behind an X-man! If the other guys found out about that little tidbit, Pietro could kiss his membership in the brotherhood goodbye!

"How much do you think it will cost to keep Spyke from running his mouth about what really happened?"

"If it waz anyone else; 20 bucks. Since it'z you...100. And that iz aiming low."

Fucking Daniels. " _Son of a bitch_!" He'd get the last laugh. Pietro always did. He'd creep into Evan's room that night and repeatedly punch the other boy in junk before speeding off! "I, uh, I'm normally not that pathetic in a fight. Just...just saying." Who was he trying to impress? This was just Kurt and he knew exactly how terrible the speedster was in a fight. What was he trying to do?

That was the grey thing about Kurt Wagner. He didn't judge when it came to stuff like this. The blue furred boy rolled over so he and Pietro were face to face, then, in a steady, calm voice said, "You vere scared. Thoze guyz vere bigger than you, they already have a reputation for being trouble and you're under a lot of strezz. It'z okay to be afraid."

It wasn't. Maximoffs weren't supposed to be afraid of anything let alone a couple of punk, human alphas. If his father heard about the news, and was able to put together that Pietro was involved, that would be the end of him.

"In the future, at leazt vhile you're here, I'll help you vith your fears. I vill protect you az best az I can."

That surprised the other boy. Never did he think he would live to see the day someone outside of his team was swearing his protection. Nightcrawler though, he was different than most people. There was something about him that set him apart from the others, that made you wonder how in the hell someone as cruel as Mystique could birth such a person. "I...you don't have to-..." If such an assault happened against him again, Pietro didn't know how he would react. If he would run, if he would fight or if he would freeze. Having someone nearby who could back him up wouldn't be an inconvenience. "...thank you."

It wasn't much but it was a start. Kurt smiled at the other boy, one of his smiles which could melt hearts, and sat up in his bed. "I'm hungry," he announced, "Going to grab zome food. Vould you like anything?"

"I could eat. Mind grabbing me a sandwich?"

"Of courze." They hadn't even made it to lunch and dinner wouldn't be served until after A/B/O class. The blue dude stretched and climbed out of bed, "I'll be back in a couple minutes."

~~~~

The halls and kitchen were deserted. As soon as word had gotten out that class would be letting out early every teenager in Bayville, with the exception of the speedster and the teleported, celebrated by hitting the mall or the movies or even the shabby old roller rink down by the train station. No one was in the mansion except Kurt, Pietro and the staff. Lucky for them. With only them around they were actually able to grab the good food. Kurt grabbed a loaf of bread from the cupboards, followed by a jar of mayo, lettuce, pickles, fresh tomatoes and some meat. Kosher. He wasn't sure if Pietro followed the dietary rules of his faith strictly but he would prefer to be safe then sorry. Once he completed Pietro's sandwich, Kurt set it on a small plate, placed it aside and started on making his own lunch. He was craving bologna. Which only happened when he was nearing heat. His last one was about five months ago, so he estimated there was about two or three weeks until the next one.

Once again, he would be spending his heat alone.

Kurt hid his guilty-pleasure food in the back of the fridge, behind Rogue's chocolate milk. After some unsavory incidents in which Bobby nearly had the life sucked out of him for drinking what was not his, the other members of the team had collectively learned not to touch her food, even just to move it. Kurt risked it to hide bologna and whatever else he was craving at the time. He grabbed the package, along with a couple slices of cheese, and hummed a happy little song while putting it together.

Heavy footsteps came down the hall. Boots scuffing the hardwood floor. Kurt looked back over his shoulder just in time to see Logan coming in from a ride on his motorcycle around the city. Gott, Kurt loved that thing. Motorcycles of every kind, they were all so beautiful, so sleek. When he got his license Kurt was definitely going to get one for himself, but it would be a poor excuse for a machine in the presence of Logan's bike. What he wouldn't do just for a ride on that thing! It wouldn't never happen though. Logan loved that thing. No one was allowed to touch it besides him. In other words; the chances of Kurt getting to ride Logan's motorcycle were about the same as him getting laid.

"Thought I smelled bologna," The Canadian said, and leaned against the kitchen counter. He grabbed a slice of cheese that the teen had set aside and shoved it into his mouth. "I also thought that Jubilee had eaten the last of it. What you keeping a stash now?"

"Ja. It'z the only vay to survive in thiz place." Not that Logan needed to worry much about surviving. "You vant zome?"

"I'll pass Elf. So, uh, how's the Maximoff? I heard about the school. About those kids, and about, uh, the mountain lion?" Yeah right. Mountain lion. What a load of horse shit. "He doing okay?"

"Better." Kurt wondered if Logan could tell that his archenemy was involved simply from the description of the incident or if he could smell him off Kurt. "Vhat have you been up to?"

Something badass no doubt.

Logan shrugged his shoulders and snatched another piece of cheese off the counter. "Just holding down the fort. Wanted to see how you were holding up." He shoved the slice of cheese into his mouth, then licked his fingers. "Couldn't have been pleasant huh?"

It wasn't the worst experience of Kurt's life, that was for sure. He finished up his sandwich and set it on a plate beside Pietro's, then started placing things away. "No. It vasn't. But I'll be alright. Zo vill Pietro. I'll make zure of it."

Logan chuckled, "Look at you, getting all protective. All parental. Wouldn't want to come between you and your kids in fifteen years. You'd rip the arms off anyone who stepped near them!"

"Damn ztraight. You know, once I actually manage to have children." He seemed to be missing a key instrument in becoming a parent at the moment.

Wolverine didn't understand omegas. Let alone old fashioned omegas. "And you're in a rush to start pushing out babies because...? You've got decades to worry about that stuff kid. Centuries if you're anything like your mother."

Maybe it was his old fashioned upbringing, maybe it was his own system of beliefs, maybe it was his gentle and protective nature, or it could have even been his uncertainty about his past. Whatever the reason, the need existed. "I have my reasons. Vhat about you? You're an alpha, you've been around avhile, vhy haven't you settled down?"

Constant loss. Constant fear of loss. Constant fear of Sabertooth coming in and ruining everything he worked so hard to build up. Constant reminders of every horrible thing he'd ever done. Constant judgement over who he pined after. Constant guilt over the age the difference. Constant worry that he'd hurt him, either accidentally or in a primal rage. Constant fear of hurting any offspring that he may have. Logan could have listed them off for days. Instead he just smiled and replied, "I have my reasons. Now go on. Once everyone's back here the Professor's starting up the first class early. He wants every one of you kids in attendance."

"Of courze." It was better to have the sandwiches digested before they started. In case they showed the video of the omega and the female alpha giving birth. Kurt gathered up the sandwiches and headed back down the hall to his room. Logan kept smiling and watched as the boy left. Kurt was a good kid, good at looking out for everybody, but he was still just a kid.

Sometimes, a lot more lately, Logan had to remind himself of that. Getting involved with some kid wasn't going to help anybody.

~~~~

Kurt was just w couple doors down from his room when he heard it. He had been passing by a window, carrying both of the sandwiches, when something bounced off the glass. He stopped, and looked over at it. Had a bird flown into it again? He set the sandwiches down on a nearby coffee table and went to investigate. "Vogel?"

The young hero unlocked the window and poked his head out, expecting to see a small bird laying in the flower box beneath. He got a familiar man standing on the ground below, tossing pebbles up at the window with his still bloody hands.

" _Kurt_!"

This was beginning to get scary...

"Sabertooth?!" Kurt called down to him, "Vhat...Vhat are you doing here?! Vhat if Logan sees you?!"

"I'll be quick, kid, I promise. Just hear me out, please."

Was that genuine pleading Kurt detected? Oh this was going to be good. If things went south quickly, Logan was always a holler away. Kurt was curious. He leaned out the window, and called back down. "Alright. But first you muzt anzwer zome of my own questions, ja?"

The young mutant was surprised once again that day when Sabertooth actually complied with what he said. "Ja, yes. Yes, of course."

Where to begin? What was he doing at the school? What happened in the woods? Not to mention the all important; Where was Magneto and what diabolical plan was he up to this week? None were what he began with. "Vhat iz your name?" Kurt asked, "Your real name?"

"Victor Creed. My name is Victor Creed and I-"

"I'm not finished." He wanted to know about today. About why Victor had been following him and why he had felt the need to take action against those two jerks at the school. "...You could have killed them-"

Victor turned his head to avoid making eye contact. "I...yeah. Yeah I could have-"

"So Vhy _didn't_ you?"

"What?"

Kurt thought he had been clear with his question originally but he repeated it motherless. "You could have killed them but you did not. You showed mercy, zomething you have never shown before... vhy?"

The answer was quite simple. "If I did, and became trapped again, would you save still save me? Still have treated me with such...gentleness despite you being my enemy?"

"It's not my place to judge, or to strike someone down." How could he face God after doing such things? "All I vant iz to help."

"To save lives? Sounds like you. You're...I respect your values, your way of handling things. It's...different. A good different." He had never been good at these things. At talking to people. Let alone people he actually liked. The more time he spent here, the bigger the risk of getting caught by that puny Logan was. He had to cut to the chase. He had to let Kurt know that he was going to protect him. "And seeing as I owe you my life I feel that I am in your debt. If you ever need anything, anything at all, all you have to do is call and I will be there."

"Call-"

And Victor was gone. Running back into the woods from whence he came. Kurt was getting real sick of his vanishing act. Just when he was getting to understand the guy. The teen sighed to himself and was about to close the window when something in the flower box caught his attention. He reached out and pulled it in for further examination. A rock, flat and smooth, with numbers carved into one side.

"Call." Kurt mumbled to himself, and dropped the rock into the pocket of his shirt. "Just call. Ja right."

He pulled the window shut, scooped the sandwiches back up and continued on his way back to his room.

~~~~

Shortly after 1:00 everyone had checked back into the mansion and were assembled in one of the old classrooms for the first of many A/B/O biology lectures. The brotherhood were placed in the front where Beast and Storm could keep a better eye on them. They hadn't gone through all the trouble of putting this together just for them to doze off and forget everything. The others scattered around the room; Jean and Scott cuddling near the back, Kurt and Kitty behind the brotherhood for support, and so on and so on. The last person into the room was Logan who came solely to watch the teens squirm. This was sweet justice for all the times those punk kids had managed to catch him off guard.

Beast, bless his old heart, began the lesson by going over the basics.

"Biology and reproduction is divided upon three different statuses. Alpha, beta and omega. Claims of others, deltas and so on, have arised but are entirely false. Everyone on earth is apart of a status, whether they be mutant or human."

Lance mumbled something about humans having less control than mutants but dropped it after receiving a smack to the back of the head curtesy of Kitty.

"Let's begin with alphas," Storm began. "They are a traditionally more dominating relationship partner. In conservative places, they are breadwinners supporting the family. It is also customary for an alpha to court an omega, or a beta depending on how they feel. During presentation an alpha is known to become aroused unexpectedly, and may have a hard time controlling themselves until their presentation finishes. In lesbian relationships, it is possible with assistance for a female alpha to impregnate a female omega. A female alpha cannot impregnate a male omega, seeing as it is a traditional male-female dynamic, but if the female is unable to carry a child, it is possible for the male to surrogate through in-vitro."

Lance turned to Pietro and giggled immaturely. "Dude," he whispered. "Picture Scott Summers pregnant and fighting crime."

The speedster giggled, and had to cover his mouth with his hands to keep from laughing out loud.

"The role of betas is simple."  
Beast continued, "They fill the void. In an environment where there is little to no alphas, they fill that role, and the same with omegas. In an environment where the population of omegas and alphas is stable, they remain in an almost neutral state. Some alphas of both genders appreciate the company of betas over omegas, and vice versa. Their presentation is similar to that of regular puberty. Which...brings us to omegas..."

Oh yes. The reason they were listening to this damn lecture in the first place.

"Omegas are the most complex status. Female omegas follow the concept of traditional female biology. They are able to carry young. They also menstruate as well as go into periods of increased fertility and intense need to reproduce, a slip into a more primal side if you will, called heats every six months. Male omegas do not menstruate but can carry young though these pregnancies are far more difficult. They got into heat every six months following their presentation and original heat. Now, omegas are not slaves to their biology as some would describe. Many advances have originated to allow them control over these heats such as taking suppressants or speaking with doctors regularly for other treatment. During presentation, an omega will often feel cramps in the lower abdomen, as well as an intense heat that sets in upon its completion and the beginning of their first heat. Omegas are traditionally gentler and smaller in statue by nature but that is more of a coincidence rather than scientific fact."

Toad started to snore.

Beast sighed, "Seeing how everyone's feeling, why don't we put on a video for a couple hours. To give you a sense of what an omega goes through."

Storm smirked and produced a VHS tape from inside a large oak instructor's desk. "The miracle of childbirth: new and updated...who wants to go grab the tv?"

~~~~

10 minutes into the video, Lance threw up. He turned green in the face and tossed his cookies into a garbage bin at the back of the room.

15 minutes in, Toad fainted. He was left on the floor until the film was completed.

25 minutes in and Tabitha swore an oath of celibacy.

30 minutes in and Logan was trying to leave without being noticed by the students. It wasn't working.

The female part was the same video they showed back in 7th grade when you were taught to put condoms on bananas. It showed the stages of birth, all the way up from water breaking to holding your new screaming infant. A couple omegas sighed contently at the bald little creature...Pietro hissed,

"What an ugly baby..."

The male one was absolute terror. Lance had to bring a garbage can back to his seat. Toad was rolled over onto his stomach so if he woke up, he wouldn't faint again, and Logan lost all interest in trying to be sneaky while leaving. The doors had locked behind him and he spent a good twenty minutes trying to pick the lock open with his claws.

Pietro was quiet throughout this portion, watching with wide eyes and a feeling of dread in his stomach as some strange omega popped out. Child. That was his life if he didn't get control of this situation now. He raised his hand.

"Oh," Hank hit pause on the video. "Yes Pietro?"

"There's a procedure some women can get which makes it impossible for them to ever conceive. What is the male version and how much will it cost me to have it done immediately?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! And don't worry you Gambit fans, he'll be along shortly! Yes, he is an omega but do you really think Remy's your stereotypical omeg? Hell no! Remy's in a class of his own! 
> 
> Also, Evan/Pietro moments, Logurt progress (kinda) and Sabertooth gets some! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Normally Victor slept in on his days off. The days where Magneto wasn't breathing down the back of his neck were rare and far between, but they still occurred and the big cat could find relaxation and comfort in spending those days asleep and just laying in bed. This morning was different. He wanted to do something different, and when gazing down on the snoozing body of mate, Victor knew what that was going to be. He leaned over, pressed a kiss to his mate's temple, then forced himself to rise and venture out of the masterbedroom, down the hall and into the kitchen to start making breakfast.

He had never expected himself to be so lucky. To have someone waiting at home, someone who loved him despite what he had done and all he was going to do. He never thought he was going to have a family like this. A real one, with love and respect, longing and comfort, without any abuse or issues. After decades of searching Victor Creed had a real home.

He started gathering the ingredients to make up some pancakes and started mixing them together. He had never been much of a cook, but his mate loved pancakes, and he wanted to treat him.

"Da...?" A sleepy little voice asked, alerting Victor to another presence. He turned around and saw his son standing in the doorway, clutching his blankie in one hand and rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the other.

"Grant Scott what are you doing up so early?" Normally the little tyke wouldn't be up for another couple hours. He was a deep sleeper, much like his father.

"Heard you..." Grant Scott mumbled, still half asleep. "Hungry..."

Victor smiled at that. His boy, even at only 4 years old, had the strength and stomach of a true big cat. He looked like one too. Grant Scott inherited a lot of genetic markers from his Vatti; soft fur, pointed ears, a tail, and those big, sweet yellow eyes that had ensnared his father's attention years before, but he was still his father's son. When he wasn't sleeping or running around in the backyard, he was eating. Victor set what he'd been doing aside and picked the boy up, "Well, I got some pancakes started but it will be a couple minutes, cub. Do you want some orange slices while you wait?"

The cub scrunched up his face, just as his father knew he would, and shook his head no.

"Just messing with ya! Don't worry, we still have some bacon in the fridge I can heat up."

His son was the apple of Victor Creed's eye; a little carnivore who adored both of his parents and loved watching age inappropriate horror movies with his father and skating. Victor set Grant Scott down at an empty chair, and grabbed a plate of leftover bacon from the fridge. He put it in the microwave for about 40 seconds and went back to work mixing pancakes.

"Vatti still sleeping?"

"Yes Cub. That's why I'm making him some breakfast. Would you like to help me bring it in to him?"

Grant Scott nodded eagerly and happily clapped his little chubby paws together when the microwave dinged, letting him know that breakfast was done. Victor grabbed the leftover bacon from the microwave, set down in front of his son and kissed the top of his head. "Pancakes will be done by the time you finish eating."

The boy nodded but Victor could tell he was no longer listening. Once the bacon had been set before him the rest of the world fell alway. Grant Scott shoved a couple pieces into his mouth, and watched as his father finished up breakfast.

Sure enough, every slice of bacon was gone once the pancakes were complete.

Grant Scott took the liberty of grabbing some butter and maple syrup from the fridge and set them in the middle of the table. "Vatti likes maple syrup." He stated, though Victor already knew the fact. He got a couple plates from the cupboard and set them around the table, then placed the pancakes on a larger saucer which was set beside the syrup and butter.

"Let's go wake up Vatti then, hmm?" Victor asked and chuckled at his son's eagerness. The cub nodded, hopped down off his chair and took off sprinting down the hall. His father followed behind him at a leisurely pace.

Vatti was still snoring softly when they entered the bedroom. He had the covers pulled up over his head, and his back to the door. Grant Scott decided to take advantage of this. The little cub grinned, ran and jumped onto the bed beside him. "Wake up Vatti! Wake up!"

"Gott im himmel!"

Kurt bolted upright, eyes open and almost dilating, struggling to catch his breath. He hated it when his mate and child scared him like this. Speaking of his mate, Victor just stood in the doorway smiling innocently.

"Victor-" The younger mutant warned, his tone dangerously low.

"We made breakfast Vatti!" Grant Scott announced, nuzzling into Kurt's side. "Pancakes!"

It was impossible to stay mad at his son or at Victor. Kurt sighed, knowing he's have to let this one go, and lifted his child up into his lap. "Did you now? Vell isn't that sweet. Vhy don't you run along ahead and pick out a couple for yourzelf vhile I speak vith dad for a minute?"

Uh oh. Something like that could be either very good or very bad for Victor...

"You may even vatch zome of thoze cartoons you like in the living room if you wish."

Oh dear...

Grant Scott, too young to understand his father's mix of fear and joy, grinned and bounded out of the room to catch the newest episode of Scooby Doo before it started.

"Shut and lock the door, Vic."

There was a firmness to Kurt's voice...he never spoke with such control, such confidence, unless he had something up his sleeve. Victor wasn't one to take orders, but he also wasn't one to disappoint his mate. He closed the door and locked it. "Of course baby." It didn't help the matter that Kurt's parents were completely terrifying. One wrong move and he was dead. Although sicing his parents on his mate for scaring him away didn't sound like something Kurt would do...

"Zo...you made breakfast?" Kurt smiled, "How sweet. My two boys treating me like thiz."

After all the shit Kurt had been put through over the years, he deserved to be treated like royalty by his mate and his child. Victor double checked to make sure the bedroom door was locked before wandering back over to his bed. He sat down beside Kurt, and through an arm around his slender form. "We just want to show you how much we care. How much we love ya."

The younger mutant blushed, his cheeks turning violet, and leaned into Victor's side. "Vell, how about I show you how much I love you?"

That was yet another thing Victor loved about Kurt. He was a sweet and kind little Catholic boy who somehow managed to drag his family to mass in town every Sunday. He was also incredibly skilled and tactile in the sack. Every six months Grant Scott went to stay with his auntie Rogue while his parents sorted through Kurt's heat. Needless to say, it left them both grinning but exhausted. The time between heats was nothing to be ashamed either when it came to their sex lives. Kurt was one horny son of a bitch.

"I would love for you to show me." Victor stated, "But we're going to have to be quick. Don't want Grant Scott alone for too long."

Kurt giggled, "Relax. It'll take a couple minutes." He reached over and undid the waist band of Victor's pajama pants. It came loose and Kurt was able to slip his hand in and grasp Victor's cock. The big cat groaned, and leaned back against the headboard,

"Mmm..." Gotta love the furry dude. His hands, tiny in comparison to Victor's, were unbelievablely soft and warm on his cock. Kurt smirked and ran his hand up and down Victor's length, moving slowly, and stopping to trace a vein. Victor shut his eyes and tilted his head back. "Yea baby that's it..."

Kurt had still been a virgin when he and Victor became mates so his knowledge on cocks and size was limited. He knew enough to know that his mate was hung. Vic was at least 8 inches, thick, and pulsing. Big enough to leave the elf limping (but grinning) after every round they had. It only took a couple pumps to get the older mutant hard and twitching against Kurt's Palm. Then, he pulled away.

Victor's eyes flew open, "Kurt?! What the hell-"

His mate placed a hand over his mouth and used the other to lower Victor's pajama pants. Kurt winked, then leant down and licked at the tip, already dripping with pre-cum. He looked up at the big cat, eyes half-lidded and still smirking, watching his mate come part in his hands.

"Jesus Kurt-"

Nightcrawler said nothing. He licked the length, and wrapped his tail around Victor's thigh as he normally did in the heat of intimacy. The tip of the young man's tail traced little patterns into his flesh, and a shiver spread through the elder's muscular body. Deciding his mate had had enough, Kurt took the length into his mouth and started to suck.

" _ **Kurt**_!"

~~~~

Victor awoke to the sound of his kitchen phone ringing off the hook. He rubbed at his forehead, then at his eyes, and forced himself up into a sitting position. "Baby, whose-..." He looked beside him expecting to see a familiar omega, and found no one. For a second he thought that he had left to tend to their young child, and then reality hit him like a ton of bricks. His "mate" was a sixteen year old boy who lived with his archenemy, their son was a product of his dreams, and he lived alone.

Fuck.

He attempted to venture into the kitchen and answer the phone. It was either going to be Magneto with another suicide mission or rant about his offspring or Kurt with some request of him. Most likely the former and not the later. That was when Victor realized that while the events of his dream were false, the effect it had on him was not.

"Shit." He wasn't going to be much help with a raging erection. Even if it was just Magneto looking for someone to rant to. He leaned back, got comfortable and shoved his hand down his pants, thinking of soft blue fur, sweet yellow eyes and a slim and willing body. He thought of making the boy cry his name, of making sure that no one else could ever take him away from Victor, and it wasn't long until he found release.

Magneto could wait another ten minutes. It was what the prick deserved for constantly putting his men in harm's way. Besides, Victor needed this.

~~~~

It had been about a week since Pietro and the brotherhood came in and so far Evan thought he'd done an excellent job of avoiding them. It wasn't hard. Meals and those A/B/O lectures were really the only time they were ever together. Otherwise the brotherhood were together or sticking to the Xmen who found them tolerable like Kitty and Kurt. One week down, one more to go and then he was finally free.

It was an unusually cool night for that time of year. Evan got up a few times to close the window in his room and turn up the thermostat but there was little change. Finally, after a half hour of tossing and turning, the former youngest Xman forced himself up to go in search of an extra blanket. There should have been a couple in the storage closet by Amara's room.

Everyone else seemed to not notice the cold. Evan met no one in the hall, and could even hear some snoring as he passed by locked doors. Up ahead he heard a door opening and closing, followed by another one, and another one...-

Pietro was running from door to door checking the rooms. He had a light green blanket wrapped around his shoulders and nothing but a pair of dark blue boxer shorts on. His face was red and puffy, and he would sigh loudly or grumble after checking each door.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nada. Nada. Nope-"

If he didn't look like he was going to completely break down in seconds, Evan may have thought he was up to no good. It was difficult to think such things though when the "villain" was running around in pajamas. "What the hell are you doing Pietro?"

"I'm cold," Pietro informed him without looking in Evan's direction. He had far more important things to occupy his time now. Like not freezing in his sleep. "Need another blanket. Or Kurt but he wasn't comfortable with the idea of us spooning."

Evan snorted, half in disbelief and half in amusement at the idea of Nightcrawler and QuickSilver sharing a bed. He knocked on the wooden door in front of him. "Closet's this one. I'm here for a blanket too."

It was late. Evan wasn't looking for a fight and even if Pietro was, he wasn't going to get far with the blanket tripping him. "Oh. Yeah. Right." Said the speedster and in a second he was shoulder to shoulder with his archrival. "Well hurry up and get yours. I'm tired."

Evan grabbed ahold of the blanket Pietro was wearing and lifted it over his head. "There. Now I won't have to listen to you."

"Ammphofe." Was Pietro's muffled reply. "Whaff am ammphofe."

The porcupine laughed, if just for a minute, and he almost forgot that he hated the other boy with every fiber of his being. This was what it had been like to be friends with Pietro. Before all this mutant crap go run the way and he turned into such a dick. Evan opened the closet door and started rooting around while Pietro waited and took the blanket off his head. "Anything?"

"Just this one at the bottom." Evan replied, and tossed it back for Pietro to hold for the moment. "Other than that it's nothing but old photo albums and records from the 1960s and 70s."

60s & 70s huh? "That was when my dad was actually helping Xavier. There may stuff of his in there."

"Like Magneto with bell-bottoms? Oh man, I'm taking this!"

"You? Daniels he's my father! If anyone deserves to see him in shitty tie-die and those tiny little multicolored glasses, it's me!"

It would appear they had hit an empass. One blanket while both were still freezing and an undying need to see Erik Lehnsherr at his worst.

"Come back to my room." Evan suggested, "We can share the blankets, there'll be three this way, and both get to see Professor X with a mullet."

Pietro smirked, and fluttered his eyelashes the way a girl would around a guy she liked. "Why Daniels, I had no idea that you cared-"

"Knock it off." Evan told him, and elbowed his former teammate in the side. "It'll be just like when we were kids. We used to sleep over at each others houses all the time."

That was true. Pietro could remember one time inparticular. "When we were kids or...-?"

"When we were kids. Not like that." Evan stated firmly. "All we will be doing is laughing at your dad and sleeping without worrying about loosing one or two of our toes. That's all."

"Fine with me. I ain't got anything else going on tonight." Just another night of illicit dreams involving him and people he would never hook up with while Kurt giggled in the next bed over. Pietro was starting to regret agreeing up bunk with him until this all passed...

~~~~

Since he had no roommate and had joined the team later, Evan's room was smaller than Kurt's. Smaller but about ten times more messier. His dresser looked like it had exploded. Sleeves, pantleg a and other bits of clothes burst out between the drawers. The walls were covered in posters. So much so that Quicksilver couldn't even tell what color they were painted. Clothes that had managed to escape the tyranny of the dresser lay across the floor, along with more than one skateboard, a helmet, a couple books and that old video camera which claimed a spot upon a pile of dirty T-shirts. Evan sat down on his bed, the photo album in his lap, and patted the empty spot to his left. Pietro sat down and placed a pillow between him and Spyke. He was a sleep cuddler and the worst thing that could happen would be if someone came in and saw them curled up together.

"Well, let's get going. I'm exhausted. Any minute I'm going to pass out and I'd rather do it back in my own bed, thank you."

"You and me both." There had better be some drunk Hanukkah photos in the album or else this entire night was going to be a waist of time.

Evan waited for Pietro to get comfortable, to wrap them both up underneath the blankets they'd acquired, then opened up to the first page. A couple newspaper clippings tumbled out between the teens. Pietro snatched one up, recognizing the language as Polish. The article described an incident at an iron works factory in which a man was nearly crushed when control over one of the machines was lost. The only thing that saved him was what the author described as a miracle in which the machine just stopped and fell apart a couple feet away from him. The date was November 5th 1974.

"Dad..." It had to be his father. There was no one else who could have dismantled a machine so quickly. But why would he save someone like that, Someone human? Pietro set it back down inside the book and peaked over at the clipping that had caught Evan's attention.

It was a picture. Warm and faded, with tattered edges, but the woman in the center of the frame was still recognizable even after nearly 30 years.

"Auntie O..." Evan mumbled, looking down at the teenage face of his aunt. She was looking back over her shoulder at someone, wandering through what looked like the ruins of an old building. It was hard to imagine but everyone had a hard time controlling their powers at first. Was this the result of Storm's lack of control in her youth?

The other articles were from across the globe. All reports of mutant activity before anyone knew what a mutant was. Some were easy to read, some had pictures to tell the story, and others were placed back in the book after a couple minutes and no success in piecing together the story. The next page in the album were all photos of a young boy. Long chocolate hair, big doe eyes, a happy little smile. He waved at the camera in most, in others he clung to ones who stood beside him. He wasn't Magneto nor anyone who Spyke thought would know, so they moved on. They kept turning the page until they finally got to a page where they recognized someone.

There was the boy, now a man, standing in front of the Tower of London with two young women. Both were incredibly beautiful. The one on the man's right was taller than him, with short, bright blonde hair. She dressed in darker colors; a navy blue sleepless shirt and black skirt. The one on his left was also blonde but a brighter shade. Her hair was almost white, a color she clearly fancied as she was dressed from head to toe in it.

Pietro knew the darker blonde woman. He knew her from her eyes. Regardless of what form she took on, when photographed Mystique's eyes always turned back to their original gold from the flash.

"Mystique," Evan said, also recognizing her. Something about seeing her this way...all youthful and happy...this was no doubt before Magneto and the human world began rotting away at the woman. "Teenage Mystique."

Neither knew who the other woman was.

The next was a more worn picture. One that had been taken with an instant camera. Mystique was in the frame, in the same appearance she had on in the last one, but she was in the background, turned from the camera. The guy she had been with was now hugging a young Storm. She was laughing, with one arm around the mysterious man and the other around another young woman. They were all formally dressed, in beautiful, full length gowns and dapper suits. Evan had seen this picture before. It was framed and on the living room mantle back in New York.

"My mom," he pointed at the woman his aunt was holding. "This...this was back when they found each other again...after nearly 18 years of separation..."

"I know." Pietro said, "I know what your mom looks like Evan." They used to carpool for crying out loud! Mrs. Daniels made his birthday cake in third grade!

The next photo made the speedster's blood run cold. There, in a snapshot labeled as 1975, was an image of his father and a young girl. She couldn't be more than 5. A little toddler in a poofy princess dress, with curly brown hair and deep blue eyes. Pietro's deep blue eyes. And then there was his father....

Erik was happy. He was grinning down at this child he held against his hip, with a warmness in his eyes which had long since frozen over. His hair had yet to turn white with stress placed on his mutation, and he had yet to be corrupted by the higher style of life. He was dressed in a dusty plaid shirt and old jeans. It was like seeing Tom Riddle before he became Voldemort.

Evan squinted, and read over the date again. "That...can't be Wanda..." She was about 10 years too early to be Pietro's twin. "...Who...?"

Something told Pietro that this little girl, whoever she was, was gone. She had to have been family of some kind, a cousin or something, but the fondness his father expressed towards her was a kind that could not be easily removed. Something drastic would have had to happen to mold him into the man he was today.

Pietro turned the page quickly to avoid thinking about it any further and a tattered, stained brown piece of paper tumbled out. He plucked it up off the bed and tried to read the first paragraph, only to find it was printed in Russian. The only thing that he could make out was the date. May 10th 1976 and the name "Yaroslava". It appeared to be some kind of government document; either a report of an injury or even a death certificate. "Daniels, did you take Russian as an elective?"

"No."

"That's what I thought." This document was useless to them. Until someone came along or some machine was created which could do the translation for them. He placed it back in the book and kept flipping along.

More photos. Of the man with the longer hair, Erik Lehnsherr and the child he had been holding in the last. Of Mystique and the other blonde woman. Of Storm and a band of strangers neither boy recognized. Of a man with cool, jet black hair and dazzling blue eyes. He waltzed into the pictures midway through the book, mostly posing with Mystique or Ororo. As the years went on, the pictures all told a story, a progression of the group. The little girl grew up and in every photo she looked more and more like Wanda. A less angry, more controlled, brunette Wanda. They saw pictures of holidays, of birthdays, more articles detailing the heroics of an unknown group of vigilantes, and the development of relationships. The man with blue eyes had his arms around Mystique in every photo they were together. Sometimes she would kiss his cheek or forehead. And Erik...

Erik was always smiling and looking at the man who had brought them together. In every photograph.

"Pietro...uh...you know I never met your-"

"The person who gave birth to me was a woman named Magda. She was from Poland. She and my dad were together since-" The girl looked about four or five in the first picture they'd found of her. It had been dated 1975, meaning she would have been born in 1970. "-...since 1969..."

Evan raised an eyebrow but kept his mouth shut. Maximoff family shit was something he'd rather not get entangled in at 1 in the morning. He opened to the next page and two large, glossy black images slid out. Pietro picked the nearest one up and held it up for Evan to see.

The porcupine took a deep breath, seeing the date in the uppermost corner, and said, "This is an ultrasound. From 1985."

"Th-that's not everything." Pietro traced along the head of the more visible baby, and then along something located behind it. "See this?"

"Yeah. So?"

"That's a second baby. See, the head is there," he moved his hand a little lower. "And this is a-"

"Twins." Evan interrupted him. "This is an ultrasound for twins from 1985. Gee, I wonder who that could be. What set of twins, born in 1985, have a connection to Professor X and are fraternal."

"How can you tell that they're fraternal?"

Evan resisted the urge to slap his former friend for making him say this out loud. "The one that's more clear is a female. And you saw that the other is a male." He shook his head, "Gotta say, it feels weird looking at a picture of you and your sister as fetuses. Fetuses? Fetusi?"

"You're an idiot." Pietro mumbled, but only half-heartedly. He grabbed both copies of the ultrasound and shoved them back into the album. "This is...is just really weird."

"Yeah," Evan agreed and yawned. "Weird."

His mother would be in the next set of pictures. She had to be. Pietro plucked the book right out of Evan's hands and rapidly flipped through. More pictures of the group, of a now teenaged version of the girl with Maximoff blue eyes, of Mystique's stomach beginning to swell with a separate life and the man with dazzling blue eyes looking adoringly at her, at their developing child. Pietro would show Kurt that later. He felt he that his new alley deserved to see his father just once in his life.

The pictures stopped in July of 1985. The last one was of two infants, one swaddled in powder blue blankets, the other in soft pink, surrounded by the group that had slowly been assembled in a span of 10 years. Erik was holding him. His eyes were cast down at his son, with same loving warmth and adornment he'd seen on the picture from 1975. The happy Wanda clone was now, appropriately, holding a tiny little Wanda close. The others, Ororo, the blonde, the blue eyed man, a moderately pregnant Mystique and the man who'd brought them together, surrounded them. They were smiling, they were together and they were happy.

...What happened?

"Evan, do you think-"

An arm wound its way around Pietro's waist. He set the album down on the bedside table and turned to see what in the hell had gotten into Spyke. He was asleep. His head pressed into the pillow Pietro had set between them, and arm stretched over it and around the other boy.

"You're an idiot." Pietro told him once again. It was late. The mansion was cold, but Evan's bed was nice and warm and Pietro was lazy. Lazy, tired and beyond confused.

He drifted off to sleep in the bed of his former best friend and rival, starring up at the ceiling, at some poster of a band they had once seen together in concert, and wondering where in the hell his mother was. Where in the hell that girl was. But mostly he was wondering what in the hell had happened to his father to turn him into the man he knew him as, and what he was going to say to Evan in the morning.

~~~~

After over a year of reconnecting and making up for lost time with his parents, Forge had returned to the mansion to help the X-men take their security and training to the next level. He came over late that night. His parents had moved out of Bayville sometime in 1992 to a nice little town in Arizona and his plane had been bumped around for hours. He took his delay with good humor. After all it gave him time to think, to plan. If he wanted to be part of the X-men he had to open up with something big.

An hour or so into his delay, Forge found himself thinking about Kurt. The fuzzy dude had saved him from an eternity in a pocket dimension, had allowed him to see his parents again, allowed him to grow up again. The more he thought about Kurt, the more Forge thought about how he could help him out.

He sketched out his idea to help his friend on the plane and presented it to Professor X upon his arrival.

They were going to allow the teleported to go anywhere in the world.

It took Forge only forty minutes in the danger room with a pile of scrap metal to get a working prototype up and going.

"Totally groovy! I tell ya, like, I'm a genius!" Forge announced with a triumphant grin, and slammed his fists down on the table. "This is gonna improve Kurt's abilities tenfold! He's gonna, like, rule!"

That was one way to put it. Although Charles would have summed it up with a little less "likes". The professor scanned over the "pack" that Forge had created with interest. All appeared to be in working order, and it certainly would be useful in the field if it worked correctly.

"I wanna do a test tonight. That way I can do some tweaking tomorrow while everyone else's at school, and another test that night-"

"Actually no one will be home tomorrow except the staff," Xavier corrected him. "There's an omega's choice dance at the school. Though I agree that a quick test tonight poses no harm."

Omega's choice dance? That sounded like a blast! Music and dancing and other teenagers! Forge had never gotten the chance to attend one of those, seeing as he was locked into a dimension of his own creation at the beginning of his sophomore year. It would be a totally rocking place to meet cute omegas!

"Gee whiz! That sounds-"

Professor Xavier strode over to the elevator, his head full of ideas and possibilities with the probable success of Forge's invention. "-luckily we will still be here and can run diagnostics while the team is enjoying their evening off." He pressed the button to go up and the doors swing open. "I will wake Kurt, Ororo and Logan and we'll see what we can accomplish here before school."

Oh. Right. Dances were only there for the students currently enrolled in the school or institution hosting them. IE: not Forge. He was just the nerd who's spend his nights fixing up new technological marvels.

"Yeah...well...it'll be a huge breakthrough that's for sure! Something that will definitely make a huge difference!" He had to take these things with a grain of salt. Cute, young, virile omegas were one thing but microchips and circuit boards were the wave of the future! Forge pulled the rolling chair he'd brought down to danger room over to the table he'd set his equipment up on with the intentions of running calculations. "You do that. I'll stay here and see if any improvements can't be already made."

Charles nodded and headed up to collect the parties necessary for the first experiment.

Logan was already awake. He had issues sleeping at night and usually dedicated that time to personal reflection, reading or more physical training. Charles found him lounging in his bedroom, staring at a photograph which had been taken last summer. The kids were gathered around the steps outside the mansion along with the staff. Kurt had his arms tossed around Logan and Rogue, laughing at something unseen. Logan had his arms folded in front of his chest, and was rolling his eyes, but there was a small smile on his usually grim mug. Kurt was skilled in making him smile.

What Charles saw in Logan's mind troubled him. Kurt was in his care, was underage and had a lot of problems in kid personal life. Meanwhile, Logan was damaged, needed love and support, and Kurt was the one who had the most success in keeping him sane. It was an issue with no simple solution, but needed to be addressed at some point.

Some point, but not tonight.

Charles knocked on the door to the Canadian's room, despite it being already open, and spoke quietly. "Morning Logan. We're doing some tests in the danger room, if you're interested in attending."

Logan tucked his photo back under his pillow and sat up. He stretched, and mumbled, "Got nothing better to do." He was dressed in pajamas. In a pair of old, warn out sleep pants. Tonight he had tried to sleep, though Charles knew how well that had turned out. Insomnia seemed to be a common problem among those who were around long enough to remember the, erm, problems mutants faced in the 1980s. Although he doubted that Logan was able to consciously remember them.

"Yes," Xavier stated. "I can tell. Hopefully a quick test of Forge's new invention will help that out."

"Forge?" That beta from the pocket world who looked like fucking Fez from that 70s show and whose eyes lingered on Kurt for far too long when he looked at him. That fucker. "Yeah I know Forge. What's he up to now?"

Kurt and Logan's rooms were not far apart. They were a couple of doors down from each other, with a bathroom and a guest room currently being occupied by the Blob. Across the hall were Kitty and Rogue's room, another bathroom and the room Tabitha and Magma were sharing. Logan had a nasty habit of talking loud when he thought he was alone. Everyone else on the floor were awoken by his comments. When the house blew up twice a month, you learned to sleep light. It wasn't exactly useful when Scott and Jean were going at it, and it wasn't useful now, but it had its perks.

Kitty and Rogue had learned by now that getting involved in Logan's personal crap was a terrible idea. That did not mean that they weren't going to snoop. Both crept over to the door and pressed their ears against the wood. Freddy sat up in his bed, but he did not find the need to move. He could hear just fine from here. The only thing stopping Tabitha from being out in the hall and watching what was going on was Amara. She latched onto the alpha's arm, planted her feet firmly, and held her back. Kurt woke up slower. He yawned softly, and wiped some drool off on his arm, still trapped in a state of half asleep. He looked over to Pietro's bed, saw it was empty, and assumed the mess out in the hall was about him. Had something happened with his heat?

That was what he thought until he heard the professor mention his name.

"-for Kurt. If properly carried out it should-"

"No." Kurt could recognize Mr. Logan's voice anywhere. He sounded frustrated but what did Kurt do? Besides eat the last of the cookie dough ice cream in the fridge. "He's not doing that."

"Logan, I believe you are letting your personal-"

"My **_personal feelings_** have nothing to do with this and I'll thank you to stay outta my head Chuck!"

Having such an acute sense of smell was a curse. He knew before anyone else whenever their heat (or in the case of the girls; their times of the month) were coming. Kurt's next heat would be any day now. They couldn't risk sending him into another dimension full of unknown beings. It was too risky.

"He won't be able to handle it-"

That hurt. Had that been why Logan had been treating him so different lately? Did he not think that the elf could handle himself on the team? He was a bit of a goofball, and he did break orders more than once, but Kurt...he tried. He tried his best to be a good soldier, a good friend, a good X-men and this was coming from Herr Logan. He was their instructor. He oversaw all their sessions. If he had lost hope in Kurt then what hope did he have?

For the first time in months, Kurt wished he was back in Germany. At least there his parents were upfront with when they were upset or disappointed in him.

Rage bubbled up in the teen's stomach. He tried really hard, did everything he could! What more did Logan want from him?! Well, if he had anything to say about Kurt he could say it to his face!

Kurt rose from his bed and stomped towards the door. He flung it open, flames dancing in his golden eyes. There stood Logan and the Professor, standing and talking about him outside Logan's room. They both could suck it.

"Iz that vhat you think?! That I can't handle myself?! Iz that vhy you've been treating me differently?!" He demanded.

It didn't take a genius to figure out this was bad. Logan paled, panic surging throughout him. "I-uh...huh-ga....uh-"

Xavier sighed. Just another night in the X-mansion. "Kurt," he said, and tried to remain as calm as he possibly could. It helped keep the students relaxed if he was. "None of us believe you are incapable of-"

"Can it!" The German snapped, glaring daggers into his mentor's russet brown eyes. "This is between me and him!"

The doors to the other bedrooms creaked open slowly, and multiple sets of eyes poked out.

"Fear the quiet ones." Tabitha whispered to her roommate. "When they loose it, they really loose it!"

"Elf, Kurt, you're not listening-"

"I heard enough! And to think I ever looked up to you! For the past few months I've been vondering vhy you've been treating me like zome _kind_ and now I know the answer. You don't think I'm capable of handling myself, of wearing the uniform-"

"Kurt...-" There was a pleading look in Logan's eyes. A desperate but silent plea for him to stop.

The professor felt his control of the situation slipping away from him. "Kurt please...-"

Pandora's box had been opened and there was no closing it now. Kurt poke at Logan's chest with his index finger, the heat in his eyes only growing. "You know vhat Logan?" He asked, his voice suddenly turning calm as a summer's day.

Xavier's eyes nearly popped out of his head. This was exactly what Raven used to do before the storm came...it wasn't something he missed about the woman.

"Wha...?"

"I think you're nothing more than a cowardly little man, little alpha, who solves each of his problems vith rash decisions vhich lead to him or zome bystander getting the crap kicked out of them. I think you're sneaky and underhanded, and I also think-no! I know that you're going to get vhat's coming to you!"

Kurt turned and stormed back into his bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind him. It was nothing to Wolverine's claws but in order for him to use them he would need motivation to enter. He looked pretty unmotivated when Kurt left him standing there, his ape like jaw hanging open and unable to process what had actually just happened.

"Poor Logan..." Kitty whispered to Rogue. "What do you think gotta in Kurt?"

"Dunno...but he wouldn't have done this without reason. Something had to have sent him over the edge." It had been the first time they'd ever seen Kurt so furious before...

  
Like mother like son...

Charles coughed awkwardly into his hand, taking the chance to grab a look at Logan's face. He was frozen in shock, unable to move or think of anything to say. He just stood there staring at Nightcrawler's bedroom door. "Come now Logan. You know how moody teens can be. By the morning Kurt will have cooled off and will certainly be regretting his little outburst."

"He's right you know?" Was Logan's reply. "About everything...it's better it came out this way." Maybe this way he could keep the elf safe from himself and all the baggage that came with being or being with Wolverine.

~~~~

The first time Kurt tried to call Victor, he didn't answer. He was sent to voicemail but rather than leave a message, he hung up and tried to call again in ten minutes. This time he got through.

"Yeah?" Victor growled, "Whadda want Erik?"

Well...that was something Nightcrawler certainly wasn't going to be mentioning to anyone else in the mansion. "Uh...no. No. Not Erik. It's Kurt."

"Oh. Oh! Yeah, yeah! Kurt! Sorry kid. Sorry kid. I didn't...I was asleep and-..." He stopped for a moment to get thoughts together. "Is everything alright? What can I do to you-FOR YOU. What can I do for you?"

Kurt took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy. "You're going to think I'm crazy...but I...there's a dance at school coming up. And I'm feeling rebellious. And I really need to piss off Logan zo-"

Victor's voice actually cracked when he responded. "You want me to...be your date to a dance?"

"Ja. Ja. Preferably using your motorcycle." What could he say? Kurt loved fast machines and always wanted a chance to ride one. Might as well take advantage of the situation.

"...Uh...uh...ye-yeah. Yeah! I can take you there on my bike! No problem! Whatever you need kid!"

Whatever he needed...

"Vhat if I need zomething for another person?"

"Huh?"

Rogue came to mind. Poor, sweet Rogue. The alpha who had lost her chances with every omega and beta she'd ever shown a possible interest in. She was going to the dance simply because a friend had pressured her into it. Not to meet omegas. Not to meet betas. She was there to mope.

"I need you to bring in an omega. A zingle one. For mein freund."

"...I know a guy. He's an omega. He's single...but uh...he's a bit odd. Odd but interesting, and he'll come no matter what."

"Wunderbar! Danke Herr Victor!"

"Believe me kid, the pleasure is all mine."

A date with Kurt Wagner and a chance to piss off Wolverine? It was like a dream come true!

 


	6. Chapter 6

Something was poking him. Pietro rolled over onto his side, and yawned. He rubbed some sleep out of his eyes, and stretched himself out in bed, and felt it against his thigh. "What in the hell...?"

It took him a second to remember where he was and what he had been doing the night before. Who he had been with.

Evan's arm was still wound around his waist. His breath felt hot on the back of Pietro's neck. And then there was whatever was poking him! Did Evan grow spikes whenever he slept now or-

Oh. Oh! OH!

Pietro laughed. He couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, tumbling backwards onto his back and tears forming in his eyes. The bed rocked from his little laughing fit, as he squirmed and rolled around, unable to stop himself. Evan's eyes burst open but the other teen didn't have a chance to ask what the hell was going on. Pietro's arm flew back and smacked him in the face, sending the poor porcupine off his bed and flat on his back on the floor. This only made Pietro laugh harder.

"Youfuckingdork!" He yelled between laughs. "You'restillsuchadork!"

"What the hell Pietro...?"

"Yougottaspikeinyourshorts!" Pietro declared, wiping his tears off on his arm. "Spikeinyourshorts!"

What the hell was he talking about? Spyke rubbed his back, and pushed himself up off the floor. The one time he extended the hand of kindness to his former frown and he ended up on the floor with Pietro laughing at him. He looked down, wondering if he had something stuck to him, and saw what Pietro had found so damn funny. "...oh. Morning wood..."

"A spike in your shorts!

"Oh. Well aren't you just a smug son of a bitch? Like you haven't gotten wood in the morning before."

Pietro's laughter died down into giggles, and he wiped his eyes on his arm once more. "Yeah but not when I'm pressed up against someone! You damn dork!" Wait until the others heard about this!

Evan could tell already that he was never going to live this one down. He grabbed a pillow off his bed and hurled it straight at the speedster who only giggled and ducked. This was Pietro as Evan remembered. Not the shell that served his father. He'd missed this Pietro, the one he'd called his friend.

"You going to that dance tonight there hornball?" Pietro asked, trying to failing to get himself under control. Seeing Evan humiliate himself was just too priceless! "Better tell all the mothers in Bayville to lock up their omega children!"

The dance? That omega's choice thing? "I am, but I'm going stag. No one asked me. So I figured worse comes to worse I can go, see if there's any cute, single omegas who'd like a dance, and if that backfires I bet Kurt would be up to it. Try and keep him from dancing."

Pietro wished he hadn't been asked. Ever since the incident in gym class everyone in school knew he had presented omega, and knew he was dangerously close to heat. So far that week he'd been asked to mate with every member of the football team including that pompous prick Duncan, half of the chess club, the geography club, the gymnastics squad and even the Vice President of the student council made an elaborate proposal in the middle of lunch. Thank god he'd been eating with the brotherhood. All he had to do was throw Fred a look and the beta had that little prep tossed into the nearest garbage bin. All these interested parties and Pietro was still treading too close to the fire to feel comfortable.

Thinking about what was going to happen in a couple days was enough to cure the rest of Pietro's giggles. He straightened up, partially glad that the tears from laughing too hard had stopped, partially disappointed that he couldn't enjoy the other's embarrassment for longer, and got an idea. "I could tell everybody you're big. You know, give em incentive."

"Like that's not going to blow up in my face."

"Cmon. I'd only be speaking from experience."

"Given your record, I'm flattered."

"Oh!" Pietro cried out in an over dramatic fashion, and placed his hand over his heart in false hurt. "You calling me a whore again Daniels? Don't forget who started it all."

"Should I be flattered that us having sex once when we were fourteen lead to you banging the entire swim team back in New York, or disappointed?"

"Look at you with a comeback! I'm impressed!" Wasn't often the porcupine could come back with something when he brought up the whole "first time" card. "Seeing as your stag and the thought of going with any of the alphas who asked me makes me wanna vomit, how bout we hang together? For old times sake?"

There had been dances in New York. Those, however, had been in gyms were you couldn't wear shoes and served kool-aid and cheap little cupcakes and played music through a stereo and speaker system. Evan could remember one dance back in grade six...Pietro had braces. The only tie Evan could find was an old one of his dad's that was too loose fitting to look right. They spent the night watching their friends dance like idiots and hogging food from the refreshment table. Near the end, in what he called an experiment, Pietro leant over and tried to kiss him but his damn braces ended up cutting Evan's lips. They swelled up and stayed that way for weeks.

It had been one of the best nights of his life.

"For old times sake," He agreed. "Just don't try and kiss me again."

"Oh please," Pietro said with a snort. "You sucked at kissing six years ago and you probably still do. Now come on. I want to get to the kitchen before Bobby eats all the pancakes again."

~~~~

For once since joining the X-men and moving into the mansion, Kurt skipped breakfast. That was a major alarm. Scott put forward the theory that he'd just decided to get a gut-bomb instead but he hadn't heard him and Logan last night. No one had seen the usually laid back teen so furious before, and he'd really dug into Logan. He also skipped breakfast. And the training session he was supposed to host afterwards. It was then that Scott admitted they had a problem. Kitty volunteered to hunt her best friend down and see what had set him off while Rogue went in search of Logan.

She didn't have to look far. The big guy was up in his room, staring at the photo he kept under his pillow and thought no one knew about.

"Hey Logan, how you holding up?"

He shouldn't have been hiding in his room, acting like some punk kid. That wasn't going to get him anywhere. But what could he do or say that would make a difference? And even if he could, would that be for the best? Charles had made a good point last night bringing up his growing favoritism of the elf. He couldn't allow himself to get that close to the kid...

"I've been worse missy," he told the girl. He stuffed his picture back under his pillow, and smiled that cocky little smirk he usually kept around the girl. "I'm the wolverine, not some angsty teenage boy."

"You missed breakfast-"

"Had some after talking with Kurt last night. Didn't feel like any this morning. That a crime?"

No. Rogue was prone to do the same whenever she had a bad dream. Still this didn't sit right with her. Logan wasn't his normal grumpy-but-in-a-good-way self. "You sure? Cause I could skip the dance tonight if you want someone to talk to-"

"I'm fine Rogue. You go on and have a good time at your dance." Damn teenagers. Just another excuse to get up in each other's personal space to crappy music. Thankfully Rogue understood that. She would have to remind the others about how far apart they were expected to be when it came to slow dances for the staff, to make sure things kept safe.

That was a lie and anyone could tell it but trying to get a straight answer about his feelings out of Logan could be an impossible task. For now, Rogue and the others were just going to have to wait until he was ready to talk.

Kurt, like Logan, was also hung up in his room.

Kitty knocked twice before entering to avoid any little mishaps, but when Kurt didn't respond either way she phased through his door. Kurt sat on his bed, his hair and fur damp from showering, blow drying them both in preparation for tonight. He had it cranked up all the way and sat with his back to the door. Kurt didn't notice Kitty was even there.

"You know that you, like, hurt Mr. Logan last night with what you said?" The girl asked, and slowly approached Kurt's bed. She sat down beside him and smiled politely. "And you both missed breakfast."

Kurt turned off his blow-dryer and set it down on his nightstand. His fur was starting to puff up, as it was prone to, so he grabbed the brush he'd set aside for this matter and went to work. "I..." He had been frustrated, hurt and just plain angry to hear that Logan believed he was incapable of handling himself. His intention was to take the alpha down a peg, but hearing that he'd successfully managed to hurt one of the toughest people on the planet..."I vas defending myself. It vas all in the heat of the moment but I've got things planned for tonight. I'll talk to him later."

Plans? As far as Kitty had heard, Kurt was going to the dance by himself. Most of the team was. "You got a date to the dance?"

"Ja."

"Oh Kurt!" Kitty couldn't help but be happy for her friend. He was so reserved when he was around alphas, but wanted nothing more than to be loved. This dance could very well be the first step to a long, happy relationship. She threw her arms around Kurt's shoulders and gave him a big, tight, almost rib crushing hug. "Who is it?!"

It felt that he should be insulted for Kitty so easily giving up her task of guilting him into apology simply because he had a date. He had some game at school...didn't he? Besides, it wasn't a real date. It was a "fuck-you-Logan" date. "I am not at liberty to zay right now but I can zay that you know him already."

"Evan? Toad? Bobby? Sam? Jamie-"

"Gross." Kurt interrupted her, and snickered at the very thought of him seeing any of the boys she just listed romantically. "If you vant a hint though, he's older. And he's bringing a friend for Rogue."

~~~~

"I'm in hell."

This situation was...odd to say the least. Even for someone like Remy who had become more than a little familiar with things of unusual fashion. Victor had called him up last night out out of nowhere, rambling in a very unsteady voice about how he needed to get his froggy butt down to his place in the woods of Bayville immediately. An hour drive and he comes into Creed's cozy little cabin to find the other man lying on his couch, staring up at his ceiling and talking nonsense to himself. As Gambit had suspected, an omega was involved.

"I've had dreams about this kid." Victor confessed, "Domestic dreams which weren't actually that bad."

Remy wasn't a fucking shrink. He liked to consider himself a man of action but he didn't drive thousands of miles not to hear about what Creed had fucked up this time, so he plopped himself right down on the cat's armchair and kept on this little "doctor-patient" act. "Define domestic."

"We had a kid! A sweet, beautiful little kid..."

"Zen why don't you azk him about becoming your mate?"

"He's 16 Remy." This wasn't getting them anywhere. If Victor was going to get this asshole involved, he was going to have to be as blunt about his problem as humanly possible. The thought made him want to gag. "Look...he's saved my life and he's different than those other X-men. He's been through hell and back and all it did was make him kind. I...I want to protect that, protect him."

That didn't seem as complicated as Victor made it out to be. Once again his Canadian coworker was just being dramatic. "Alrighty then! Then you should just-"

" _But I also really want to fuck him. Hard. Until he can't feel his legs and is a drooling, brainless mess_."

....

Fuck.

Remy rolled his eyes and got up out of the armchair. Victor watched the other man wander into his kitchen, open the fridge, grab a beer and come back out. "Zis zolution can not come to moi without alcohol." He informed the other, pulled the tab, and took a long, refreshing sip. "And now I can zee that it won't come to moi with it eithzer. _Pardon moi_."

Victor expected as much. Remy knew as much about emotional/relationship problems as he did about rocket science. He decided not to let that get to him at the moment. He had to think about tonight, about getting there, and worrying about what came after the dance later. "Are you busy tonight?"

"Haven't been zince Magneto shifted his attention from world conquest to finding his boy a mate. Why do you ask?"

It didn't surprise Victor in the least that his employer was actually looking to set up an arranged marriage for his kid. What did surprise him were the high standards he had. Victor had assumed that he would have just grabbed the first single alpha he could find with money but if it was taking him this long to filter down the results, he had to be looking for someone in particular.

"How would you like to spend the night in the company of a very lovely young alpha?"

"I'd love to!...What's the catch?"

The right thing to do would be to tell the Cajan all he could about the girl he'd be spending the night with. About how she could very well drain him entirely and leave him comatose. About how he couldn't touch her, or have any skin-to-skin contact. It was the right thing...but it would be more entertaining to watch Remy figure that out for himself.

"No catch," Victor told him in a calm voice. "Just a lonely alpha with an extra ticket to a high school dance, looking for someone to spend time with."

Good luck you French bastard.

~~~~

The dance started at 8. Most of the attendees didn't show up until 8:30 or 9. Taking from their past experiences with school functions, the students at the Xavier institute started getting ready around 7:50. Some, like Kitty, Jean and Scott, spent nearly hours preparing themselves. Others like Evan, Blob, Pietro spent about fifteen minutes. Lance nearly had a panic attack trying to find a shirt that matched his date's dress, Tabitha somehow slipped Amara into a tight little red dress that made her look about ten years older and even Rogue took an extra couple minutes applying her make up. The only one who had been ready by the time 8:00 rolled around was Kurt who had spent the entire day primping himself. The fuzzy dude now occupied a spot on the couch by the window, watching the front gate and waiting.

Scott had just finished up in the shower and was heading over to Jean's room to grab his watch when he saw his friend there.

"Kurt?" He asked, "What are you doing? If you need something to do, I'm pretty sure Toad can't figure out his tie." Never thought he would be saying that this year.

"Can't. My date'll be here any minute. Gotta be vaiting."

That was the first Scott had been hearing about any date and as an almost big-brother like figure on the team, he took his job of knowing what was going on in everyone's lives so he could protect them from harm seriously. He gave Kurt a stern look, but his eyes wandered back over to Jean's room. She stood in the doorway, finishing up her hair, and giving her mate a mental warning to let it go. That no good would come from poking and prodding information out of Kurt. Scott replied with a quick, "not going to happen" thought but then sat down beside his young teammate anyway.

"I didn't know you had a date man. Congrats! So who is it? That nice beta from math....what's her name? Amanda?"

Kurt didn't know if he should be flattered or insulted that everyone was damn concerned with his love life. He shook his head, "Not Amanda. And you could just for a million years and still not get it Scott." Jean still lingered in her bedroom door, waiting for Scott to help her finish getting ready. "And I don't vant anyone in my head. He'll be here in a minute, and then everyone can zee."

It wasn't a big secret that Scott wasn't comfortable with secrets being kept from him, but given he had fallen behind in his preparations and Jean was sending him signals in his head to pick up the slack, he dropped the conversation and carried on. Jean offered Kurt a small smile before disappearing back into her room with her mate and shutting the door behind them.

The German heard voices coming from down the hall and Evan and Pietro came waltzing around the corner. Neither was taking this dance dress code too seriously. Pietro had on a red shirt, a tanned brown jacket and matching pants, a pair of worn out converse sneakers and his normal cocky smirk. Evan had on an ugly turtle neck, black dress pants and his normal sneakers. From where he was sitting, Kurt could pick up bits of their conversation.

"-So then I said to the guy, 'look. I don't know what they teach you at that school but that's not where a femur is supposed to go-"

"-How did he even get that far up the river without anyone else seeing?"

He couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing! Evan Daniels and Pietro Maximoff were talking without insulting each other! They were acting in a way one may even seem as...friendly! Had the skrull invasion began?

"-anyway we finally get to town and all he says to me is 'that's the worst a date I ever went on'. Can you believe that?"

"-He was the one who charged that alligator-"

"-That he was."

The more he thought about it, the more Kurt began to wonder if the entire brotherhood had been replaced. It would make more sense than what he'd seen in the past week. Evan and Pietro getting along and reminicising, Toad apologizing to someone for bumping into them in the hall,...if Scott and Lance started seeing eye to eye he was going to call S.H.I.E.L.D.

The dance had to go off without a hitch. The teleported was trying to knock out a bunch of birds with stones here. Showing up Logan and trying to get Rogue socializing a tiny bit more outside her comfort zone. It wasn't going to be easy but he could pull it off if Victor and Remy followed his instructions for actually getting inside the gym. Speaking of which...

A loud rumbling erupted in the distance, growing closer and closer and louder and louder until it's source was just outside the mansion's gates. Kurt looked back out the window to be sure, and there was Victor, straddling his motorcycle and waiting. Kurt didn't wait for the others to notice. The longer he left Victor alone outside, the higher chance of getting caught. He teleported outside and met the big cat at the gates. It was dark, and Kurt couldn't quite tell what Victor was wearing, but it was far from his usual ensemble. Less feline more formal. Victor handed him a helmet, a blue one with a white stripe, and told him to hop on.

"Remember to hold on tight to me, and if I lean one way you should too. Unless you want to eat pavement."

Kurt nodded and after making sure his helmet was secured, climbed onto the mechanical beast. He wrapped his arms right around Victor's waist, and dared one quick look back t the mansion before they took off. He could see some people looking out through the windows, watching him as if he's lost his mind, and Kurt laughed.

He wondered if any of them were Logan.

"We good to go kid?" Victor asked. He wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible before he ended up back in the Yukon again.

"Ja," Kurt replied, and rested his head against Victor's back. He could feel the other tense at this action, but he said nothing and so Kurt kept leaning on him. "Let's get out of here."

Victor nodded and, just to show off in front of the X-dorks, reved the engine before speeding back down the road into town. Kurt let out an excited "Woohoo!", his hold on the older mutant tightening, and grinning wildly. Victor had been right when he assumed that the kid, like any teenager, loved fast machines. He was definitely going to have to take Kurt for more rides in the future!

They turned a corner, and Kurt followed Victor's instructions and leaned left. Victor couldn't help but notice how small he was when compared to himself. Kurt's slender arms barely made their way around his waist, and he just seemed so small against his back. Even for a teenager, the kid was little.

He should say something. You look nice, or you smell nice or something but how could he with it sounding creepy? Boy did Kurt smell good though, it left him with a warm feeling after smelling it, like honey mixed with lavender.

"Danke for agreeing to do this, Herr Victor. I know this is probably not Vhat you had in mind when you said you would help me." Kurt assumed that Victor had been referring to assisting during a skrull or brood invasion or something more...action-y. Where he could hit things. Escorting someone to a little dance was nothing in comparison.

"It's nothing kid. I don't mind doing this in the least," Quite the opposite in fact. "Listen, that omega I said I was bringing for your girl? He's going to meet up with us there."

"Zounds good...hey do you vink if ve get there before zome of mein freunds show up you could...um...in the parking lot....-"

Victor had heard about kids hooking up in the parking lots before dances but he had assumed they had cars. "Yeah?"

"...let me try und drive your motorcycle...?"

Kids and fast machines, what did they find so fascinating? Clearly the same things as Victor. "No problem kid. This thing crashes every other Tuesday, you driving her around a parking lot won't put a difference on that."

~~~~

"Who the hell was that _**HUNK**_ Kurt ran off with? Boy's got game!" The view from the window wasn't that great but Tabitha knew a hottie when she saw one. Muscles, and long hair, and just YUM! She whistled, "Not bad."

The others didn't seem to share her opinion.

"Holy fucking shit!" Was Scott's response, and the leader of the X-men took off like a rocket down the hall, no doubt looking for someone who knew how to handle this matter because he sure as hell didn't! Give him fighting Sabertooth or this...whatever in the hell you could call this with Sabertooth any day! Going on a date with their enemy...Kurt had lost his damn mind!

"That really couldn't have been...him...could it?" Kitty asked no one in particular, though her hands gripped tightly into Lance's sleeve for support. "Kurt would never...."

Appearantly he would. Appearantly he would convince one of the most dangerous alphas on the planet to go to a high school dance just so he could hurt Logan a little more! Not to mention hurting anyone at the dance who pissed the big cat off, and even Kurt was at risk of being maimed! This wasn't a time for formal wear and poppy dance music, it was a time for action! The next few seconds were chaotic. Jean ran after Scott, shouting things back to the others, Kitty dragged Lance down the hall while shouting for Logan, said Earth-shaker was struggling to keep up, most of the new mutants, as well as Toad and Freddy, took this as their chance to sneak off and throughout the confusion, Pietro, Evan, Rogue, Tabitha and Amara just stood there and watched.

"It's like surprise-taco-fiesta night in the danger room all over again." Amara said, "All we need is a plate of tacos and Logan yelling."

Tabitha held up a hand and put her finders down one by one. "5...4...3...2...-"

What could only be described as a bloodthirsty roar rattled the mansion. Pietro jumped, but those who had been living at the Xavier institute for more than a week knew better.

"And there we go."

"I'm guessing this means the dance is cancelled huh?" Rogue asked, though truthfully she didn't care. She was only going to this stupid thing because the rest of the team was. It wasn't like she could have much fun sitting in a corner and watching couples dance.

The minute Logan (and the X-men) got to Sabertooth he was dead and the dance was over...but if they could get there first and get a couple minutes of dancing and acting like regular teens first...!

"Not necessarily," Pietro told the group. "It takes three seconds for me to get from the mansion to the gym. I can get us all there in less than a minute."

"And then we'll have front row seats to a major smack down! Alright! I knew there was a reason we were friends 'Tro!" Tabitha cheered, and wrapped an arm around her teammate's shoulders. The others followed suit, until they were all holding onto him.

That...wasn't what Pietro had in mind when he made the suggestion. He had been thinking more towards making sure Kurt wasn't caught in the middle of a battle to the death, and okay maybe he wanted to spend a little bit of time with Evan. They had been friends since kindergarten, it was difficult not talking to him every day and the speedster wanted to see what he'd missed.

And clean up the mess Kurt had made because that boy was going to get himself killed and then who was going to look after him?

~~~~

Remy LeBeau watched with mild amusement as his teammate tried to explain the workings of motorcycle mechanics to a scrawny teenage in a loose, dark gray suit. To him it was like watching a train wreck, you knew it was going to crash eventually, you simply didn't know when. He leaned against the side of a car, humming to himself, and yes, eves dropping. It was so...strange. Victor had yet to raise his voice, had yet to show any regret for coming here, had yet to even swear in front of Kurt. He was almost a completely different person. Love worked in mysterious ways...After witnessing this with his own eyes, Remy could believe it may even work out. Well...so long as Victor, a nearly 7 foot tall, muscular, heavy man, remembered that Kurt was barely 5'4 at 16 years old and couldn't be more than 130 pounds during sex. Otherwise the kid was going to be crushed or split in half.

"-Okay so this will excelerate. You can do so now but go slow-"

Victor had one hand on Kurt's lower back to steady him, the other on the handle of his bike. It would have been an innocent scene, cute in a way, if Remy didn't notice Victor's meaty paw drifting ever lower on the boy. " _Pervertir_." He mumbled, and felt around in his jacket pockets. Shit. He was out of smokes. He'd have to bully Vic into grabbing him a box when this was over. Assuming Victor and his little crush didn't run off together to _baiser_.

Something whirred past him and nearly knocked the Cajan off his feet. Remy stumbled back, and would have fallen flat on his ass if it wasn't for the car. Pietro Maximoff, along with a pack of teenagers in formal wear, skid to a halt a couple feet away and erupted in a series of cheers.

"Woohoo!"

"I didn't think that would actually work!"

"That was awesome!"

"I feel kinda nauseous."

Remy knew Pietro Maximoff simply from the boy's appearance. He looked so much like father. Younger, and slender, but the hair, the face and just about everything else was the same. The Kid stopped to catch his breath, having never traveled with so many people before. It would have been a huge strain on his young heart. Some boy Remy had never encountered before followed Pietro, even tried to help steady him while he caught his breath. Even after the speedster was comfortable again, Remy could see this stranger's hands linger. Magneto wasn't going to be happy about that.

The others that came with them were all girls. Not bad looking girls. Remy approved. A tall, blonde alpha with wild eyes, a cute little dark skinned girl with a sweet smile and-...wow. A literal goddess...

Her eyes went straight past Remy and right over to Sabertooth and his little boy-toy. The big cat completely froze, eyes bulging, color draining from his face. He'd had encounters with this girl before and knew what she was capable of. Kurt waved, "Hallo Rogue!"

"YOU GET YOURSELF OFFA THAT THING BEFORE YOU FALL AND BREAL YOUR SCRAWNY BLUE NECK!" She hollered, and to Remy's surprise, Victor actually listened. Before Kurt could even react the Canadian mutant lifted him up off the motorcycle and set him down in front of it. Whatever this little missy had done to him, she'd done it all. "NOW YOU HAVE A LOTA EXPLAINING TO DO HERE!"

Victor may have been nervous around this little lady but Kurt sure as hell wasn't. The kid scowled, hating being removed from the bike before he got a chance to even drive it. "Vhat is there to explain? Herr Victor is my escort to the dance."

Hence the black suit instead of his usual caveman-like ensemble. Remy had to admit, the man cleaned up nicely.

"Victor." The girl repeated. "Victor Creed. Logan's biggest enemy and a well known killer?"

"He is mein freund. He promised he could not hurt anyone here tonight-"

"And you believed him?! Kurt this is-"

"-My decision Rogue. I vanted to come here vith Victor and I did. Ve vere even having fun before you zo rudely interrupted." The fuzzy elf turned to his date for the evening and smiled, "Now Vould you like to go inside for a bit?"

And get away from Rogue? "Yes." Something told Victor that Remy could handle her by himself but he'd prefer to be inside when the man tried. He offered Kurt his arm, expecting them to just walk in. Kurt grabbed onto it, still smiling warmly, and teleported inside and out of sight of his classmates.

Outside Rogue could only sigh. "I guess I should have expected that. Not like Sabertooth can just waltz in the front door."

"Oui. Try going to IHOP with him. Iz an experience." Remy felt safe to assume that this was the alpha he'd been brought here to meet. He hoped she was. "But I wouldn't worry about Victor tonight, Cher. He'z got other things on hiz mind."

"And just who the hell are-..." Oh no. Rogue wasn't someone to get easily hung up on guys. Sure, she'd had a crush on a couple before, but it had never been an immediate attraction. And then in comes this guy! Strong and smooth accent, all legs, built like a model, perfect skin...his haircut was pretty dumb though. "...oh."

The blonde girl who had come in with the Maximoff kid whistled, and gave Remy's ass a slap as she and the other girl walked by. "Damn! Kurt knows all the hot guys in Bayville! Kid has _gaaaame_!"

"Let's just get inside Tabitha, before Logan shows up." Was the other girl's response. Once he showed up, it was all over. The blonde, Tabitha, locked arms with her and the two were off. Might as well try and get one dance in before this went to shit. Pietro and the boy he'd brought with him followed them, most likely with the same idea. Leaving Rogue and this strange omega alone in the parking lot. Which wasn't so bad when Rogue thought about.

"So," she asked, "What do they call you?"

"Name iz Remy LeBeau. But I do alzo anzer to the name of Gambit." He took ahold of one of Rogue's hands and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "Hmm. Nice gloves."

"Yours too. It would appear we have similar tastes." Not many guys would wear black, fingerless gloves to a formal dance. "So, that's an interesting accent you got there. Where are you from?"

"New Orleans. The big easy."

Rogue couldn't help but smirk, "That the description of your hometown or you?"

Gambit was in love. "Damn Cher, ain't you quick with a quip! Well, ta answer your question, Remy has been described az a lil bit of both!"

"Well then, I have a feeling that you and I are going to get along just fine."

~~~~~

Dancing together, in theory, seemed like a good idea.

It happened so quickly, and it was so dark in the gym. Multi-colored lights flashed, music was pounding from the speakers, and teens were doing all they could to get close to each other. Amara and Tabitha hung close together, dancing like they had never danced before. Victor and Kurt hung near the back, simply talking and starring down anyone who looked at them funny. And Evan and Pietro stood together with their backs to the wall.

"We should dance."

Pietro had been the one to suggest it. He had been tapping his foot against the floor for a while, growing increasingly anxious. He had to keep moving. Like a shark. Dancing would take care of that.

"Alright." Evan couldn't see anything wrong with two friends dancing together...even if they weren't really friends. He didn't know what they were.

When they came out onto the dance floor the DJ was playing Missy Elliot's " _Get Your Freak On_ ". Something fast and upbeat, and that Pietro knew all the lyrics too. He mouthed them while he danced, and Evan did his best not to laugh at how ridiculous the guy could be. All was going great until the song ended and there was a change up. Out of every song that could have been played next, of every possible pop hit of the year, " _The Way You Love Me_ " came on and that was when the shit started to hit the fan.

Naturally, every couple slowed down and wrapped their arms around each other. Pietro and Evan froze, and realized all too late that they were the only ones left. To their left Tabitha and Amara were together, swaying gently, and behind them Kurt had, by some miracle, convinced Victor to dance with him. The height difference made it awkward. Kurt had to stand on the top of Victor's feet in order to hold onto him but they made it work. The only ones not dancing were Evan and Pietro.

"Well...is it bad I'm hoping that Logan bursts through that door immediately and destroys all evidence of this song ever playing here?"

"No. I'm hoping he does it too."

"...I hate this song."

"Me too."

"W-would it be the worst thing if...we were to-"

"No!...I mean...no. Nah. Just following the status quo."

"Right." All he ever did was follow orders anyway. And that usually involved breaking the law twice or six times in succession. A little slow dance was nothing. "Okay so I just put my arms around your shoulders right?"

Evan raised an eyebrow. "Have you never slow danced before?"

"Daniels, I'll have you know that I am quite skilled in many forms of dance. I took four years of ballet when I was kid, I know how to do the Macarena, the Hustle, the Twist, and about a dozen others! I-...have no clue. Help."

Pietro was ridiculous. Ridiculous but interesting. Evan always liked that about the other boy. He had no problem leading him with this. The younger of the two moved the speedster's arms around his shoulders then placed his hands on Pietro's hips. They started to sway, moving slowly, and though the pace would usually be uncomfortable for someone like Pietro, now he found it enduring. For once being slow was comfortable.

"You know," He said, "When we were kids I used to-"

"What?"

" _ **SABERTOOTH**_!"

Pietro sighed, "And there is Logan. About time."

"He isn't going to fight in front of all of these people is he?"

Of course, right when he'd finally gotten close to Kurt! Victor growled, more than ready to rip his rival to shreds and be done with this feud for once and for all.

"Don't."

He looked down at the tiny omega, still holding onto him. There was a fierceness in his golden eyes...it was one of the most beautiful and enticing things Victor had ever seen. "Don't," Kurt repeated. "I vill handle this."

Victor couldn't tell if hearing Kurt say that was adorable, attractive or just plain stupid. No matter how cute this kid was, he was no match for Wolverine when he was in one of his moods. "Kid you can't-" The evil look Kurt gave him could have made flowers wilt. "-I mean...you can't go without me to back you up."

"Ve're not going to fight. I'm handling this vithout violence."

...He was going to handle an angry wolverine without fighting. If anyone could do it though, it was Nightcrawler.

"Let's just go before he goes zomething stupid."

Some deranged guy with knives coming out of his hands wasn't going to be good press for the Xavier Institute, nor was it the way mutants wanted to come out to the public. Kurt did a quick scan of the gym, making sure no one was watching the pair, then teleported outside. The rest of the team, along with a couple brotherhood members, were standing on the edge of the parking lot. Kurt was going to ask what the hell they were doing when Victor's motorcycle came flying through the air and hit the ground in front of him.

"Huh." Victor mumbled, "Tuesday already?"

" ** _CREED_**!"

Wolverine came charging from behind a set of parked cars, knives drawn, and snarling. Kurt rolled his eyes and stepped in front of Victor. If Logan was going to try and get to the other Canadian he was going to have to go through him. As he had suspected Logan skid to a halt in front of the pair. "Outta the way Kurt! This child-touchin' pervert needs to die!"

"He never touched me! Not in the vay you're vinking of!" Kurt hissed, "He's mein freund! I truzt him!"

" ** _ELF_**!" Logan snapped, "Kid you're crossin' a line now-!"

"Do you vink I couldn't handle him? Like everything else?"

"That was outta context-!"

"- _ **I can handle myself Logan and don't need you alvays looking over my shoulder**_!"

In that moment Kurt wanted Logan to hurt. He knew it wasn't very Christian of him, but Logan had hurt him and he wanted that Canadian brute to feel every ounce of pain that he did. To illustrate his point the German teen grabbed Victor by the collar and pulled him into a rough kiss. It caught Victor off guard, but he kissed back and pulled Kurt closer to him. One of his big, meaty hands drifted down to grab Kurt's ass, and he shoved his tongue into the younger mutants mouth. To his relief, Kurt did not rebuff him. He welcomed it.

Logan let out an enraged scream and knocked Victor away from Kurt and back onto his ass. " ** _I'M GOING YOU FUCKING KILL YOU!!!_** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell there was a lot going on in this chapter so it took me a bit longer to finish. The next chapter should be up in just a couple days. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

What a disaster.

Charles had been expecting this Logan/Kurt/Victor thing to end in bloodshed but he never expected it to end in such a way that he needed to erase memories.

The fight lasted only twenty minutes and in that time Sabertooth and Wolverine beat the snot out of each other. Wolverine threw Victor into a window, thus carrying the fight into the gym, and at one point Victor beat Logan over the head with DJ equipment. Every non mutant at the dance had to have their memories wiped, and Logan had to be hauled away from his rival and straight to the infirmary for medical attention. Needless to say no one was happy.

"-You're such an ape-!"

"-So damn naive-!"

Possibly the worse factor yet, Logan and Kurt hadn't stopped yelling at each other. It took a lot to give Charles Xavier a headache but these two were getting pretty damn close.

"-He vouldn't have hurt anyone! Victor promised me-!" Kurt had been furious. While the X-men were dragging the two Canadians apart, Kurt was at Logan's side shouting insults in German and hitting his arm. Not that it had much of an effect on someone like Logan. Now he stood at his instructor's side, helping Hank apply some gaze to one of the deeper cuts Victor had managed to slice. Pissed or not, Kurt was always helpful.

Logan growled, both from the stinging pain surging through his arm and Kurt's "innocence". He forced his arm back away from the fuzzy elf, and winced at the pain he cause himself. He'd rather face that than have the kid touch him again. "So you're an expert on Sabertooth now huh?! Know all about him?! Do you know about how many innocent people he's killed?! Men, women, children, even the unborn!?"

"It's not my place to judge him! It's God's! And he is kind to me-!"

"You stupid kid! He doesn't care about you! He just wants to plow ya!"

"Zat iz a lie! Stop lying!"

He wished it was a lie. One of the downsides of having a strong sense of smell, being able to tell who was attracted to who. He knew that Jean and Scott would be together before they did, knew about Kitty and Lance, and he had his bets on who was going to be the next to shack up. The one thing he knew for sure, it wasn't going to be Victor and Kurt! "I ain't lying! The only thing he wants from you is to fuck the little brain cells you have left outta your thick skull-!"

Kurt growled and clenched his fists together. Tears started to form in the corners of his eyes but he wouldn't break down in front of Wolverine. Not like this. "Logan you are zuch a-"

Given the events of last night, Charles could do without anymore fighting for the next decade. "Enough!" He snapped. "You're both acting incredibly immature!" It was one thing to squabble about silly little things in the hall, but it was quite another to put people in harm's way just because of some unresolved feelings. He knew from experience how badly that worked out.

Hank, taking this as his que to leave, finished patching up Logan and slowly backed out of the room to avoid drawing attention to himself.

"Professor!" Kurt whined. "He started it...!"

"Chuck?" Logan asked, one eyebrow raised. "What...?"

When a teenage student was acting childish, it was bad, but when one of Charles' instructors was acting childish, it was worse! Charles shot them both a glare which promised that if they didn't shut up anytime soon they were going to be in serious trouble. "I speak for everyone here at the institute when I say that this needs to stop. The fighting, the jealousy, it simply must stop!" It wasn't like the Professor to raise his voice but he was so tired. "You two have to work past this, one way or another. So until you do you are both confined to the infirmary. Do I make myself clear?"

"Profess-"

Whining was going to get Kurt and Logan no where. Charles remained firm, not only to prevent future headaches on his part, but for the sake of the entire institute. "Do I make myself clear?"

There was no winning against a telepath, let alone one of Charles' strength. Logan thought of a hundred different ways he could get him back for this, but nodded and grumbled a, "Crystal." Regardless. Kurt just nodded his head.

The last word the Professor said to them before exiting the room was, "Good." And he left hoping that when he came back down to check on the pair in a couple of hours, they hadn't killed each other. Or were in the middle of...other things.

~~~~

Remy had been expecting to spend his entire day patching up Victor and congratulating him on grabbing himself a piece of ass so when the big cat was finished with the gaze, bandages and rum to ease the pain a little past ten, the Cajun wasn't left with many options on what to do next. He could try and talk to Vic about what had happened last night, but something told him the man wasn't up for it, and he wasn't so sure himself. When they hauled that Wolverine off the girl he'd been talking to, Rogue, had left with him. She had been so interesting to talk to, a kindred spirit, and she left with the guy who nearly ripped Victor's head off. "You could have died you know?" He'd test his luck and see what Vic was up to.

Victor laughed, and swirled the now empty run bottle around in his fingers. "Woulda died happy."

"Ya got a little Catholic boy to let ya feel hiz azz." It wasn't as if he discovered the secret of true happiness. Then again, some groping could lead to happiness so what did he know? "Which Remy zupposes izn't that bad but then Wolverine kicked your big hairy butt up and down Main Street."

"Doesn't matter. The kid picked me. That prick Logan was there and Kurt still defended me. He kissed me. He wanted me!" Regardless of how many pieces Logan took off him, Victor knew that he had won that night. For once he was able to knock that runt down a peg! "I'm going to ask him to be my mate."

"And zubzequently be arrezted for ztatutory rape?" The Cajan asked. "Good plan. Magnifique." The boss wouldn't be happy but Gambit could get the old man in a good mood again. Anything to get him up and out of Sabertooth's room!

"Kid's from Germany. Age of consent over there is 14. Plus his parents are old fashioned and want to see him land a mate soon so we could even talk about formal marriage. As long as the two of them are willing." As Victor laid there on his couch, looking up at the ceiling of his little cabin, playing with the empty rum bottle, he thought about how he was going to pull this off. He could slick his hair back, pull on a nice suit, and play the good boyfriend for a week or however long it took to get the Wagners on board with this. He'd go hunting with Mr. Wagner, and once the man was out of sight, catch a buck the way he normally would. He'd show how good he could provide for the kid. Victor would treat Mrs. Wagner like a queen. He'd help her with whatever she needed, bend to her every will, do all he could to prove that he would treat her boy well. He could make this work. "I know where I can get a ring too."

"Whatever man." If Victor left the odds of Remy getting a raise may improve. It wasn't guaranteed but Remy willing to take that risk. "Zo, uh, that Rogue was zomethin' else wasn' she? Not always Remy meets a girl whoze able to keep up with hiz quips."

"Something is one way to put her." Victor couldn't recall where he was or what had happened by the knew that Rogue and him had tangled before. The one thing he did remember clearly; the sluggish feeling afterwards. Not something he wanted to face again. Especially given his drained power levels. He wondered if she had anything to do with that.

Victor was done with Remy for now. He wanted to lay here, alone, and think about his soon-to-be mate. Remy is as the type of guy who may not mind that, but Victor did mind. And there was one sure way to get the Cajun out of his hair. Kid could never turn down a bet.

"Five bucks says you can't get that little missy to give you a kiss."

"Oh? I zee you underestimate Remy's ability to woo zee ladies." The French didn't get their romantic reputation for nothing! "Time limit?"

"By the end of the day," Victor replied. "And, if I manage to get Kurt to agree to marry me first, you also loose. An' gotta pay for everything with your daddy's blood money."

If he won Gambit had a kiss and five extra bucks in his pocket. If he lost his father was going to kick his ass up and down the bayou. Assuming the old fella ever got out of prison which wasn't looking too good at the moment.

"Gambit likes them odds!" There was just one small matter that stood between him and victory. "Zo where can I find the lovely Rogue? Where does she live?"

Victor just smirked at him, "Good luck Pepe Le Pew. You're gonna need it."

~~~~~~

Logan was a stubborn man. Everyone knew this. They respected this. It wasn't often that he had to make the first move when it came to apologies, but Kurt knew this. And he knew that not caving in to his mentor's will would drive the man out of his mind. The kid just sat in the chair beside the cot Logan occupied, starring off at the wall across from him and saying nothing. This had to have been the longest Kurt had gone without saying something since he got here. Logan didn't like it. Part of what made the kid so great to be around was how friendly and chatty he was.

Damn it. "...I didn't mean it the way you thought I did." Fucking kid knew all too well how to make the older mutant cave. At least it was just Nightcrawler and not the rest of the institute. If this information fell into someone like Bobby's hands...

"You're going to have to be more clear," Kurt kept his voice low and unnervingly calm. Much like his mother would. The two had more in common then either thought. "You didn't mean to call me stupid earlier? Or imply that I had poor judgement in people? Or that I am a poor excuse for an X-men?"

Kurt didn't even turn to glare at Logan. His eyes were fixed on that damn wall.

"All of it. I don't think you're stupid or have problems judging people kid...I think that...it's hard to explain." It wasn't Kurt's fault that Sabertooth had taken such an interest in him and Kurt certainly wasn't in the wrong for trying to help him. "In all the years I've known Victor Creed, he always ends up being bad. There were moments he may have been a decent person, even a friend, someone you thought you could trust, but he always goes back. He always hurts people he cares about whether it's intentionally or not. I just don't want you to be the next one he goes through."

He wouldn't. Kurt didn't know where Logan was getting the idea that their relationship was anything but casual and platonic. That kiss, the dance, the groping, it was nothing more than an attempt to send Wolverine over the edge. To hurt him.

Kurt planned on making up for this desire to hurt his friend at Church confession. If God forgave him that is.

"You're protective." He admitted. "But you should trust me more. Treat me like your equal and not your burden."

"You were never a burden to me Elf-"

" _Vell maybe not a burden but certainly an incompetent member of the team_."

Logan felt like slamming his head against the wall. "Kid, you can be one of the most stubborn creature's on your God's green earth when ya wanna be." Whoever Kurt ended up with, (God forbid it wasn't Creed), they were going to have to watch what they say and do around him. He could hold a grudge. "What you heard was outta context. How long until your next heat?"

The elder mutant had been in the kitchen with him when the first tell-tale signs started to show. Any connection between Kurt's credibility as an Xmen and his status as an omega seemed irrelevant to him. Unless Logan had certain ideas of what an omega should and should not do. "A day or two after Pietro. Or any day now depending on my stress levels but I don't see vhat-"

That's what Logan thought. High levels of stress could equal a stronger, longer heat hitting earlier than expected. Kurt had been under stress lately; school, helping Pietro,...running around with Victor Creed behind his team's back. It could happen any day now. "Forge and Chuck wanted to try out this new device...see if they could slow down your bamfing and figure out where you go. I...didn't think it was safe. That it was wise to send someone so close to heat into a world populated by...we don't know what. If it happened and something caught scent of ya',...who knows what they'da done."

Logan had a pretty good idea of how that would have gone down and it made his more primal side want to come out and rip something to shreds. Nobody deserved to have that happen to them, let alone Kurt.

He watched and he waited for a response. For Kurt to get frustrated and try to bamf away from him, for a thank you, for anything to show that the kid had been paying attention to what he'd said. With the young mutant's emotions running high it was hard to predict how he'd take the news. That Logan had only been trying to protect, even without talking to the omega first and seeing how he felt about the matter. Looking back now, Logan knew that he should have. It had been late and Kurt was lazy then, he would have told them all to get out and let him sleep for another couple hours.

Kurt rolled his golden eyes. "Zat explains a bit but I meant everything. The speaking for me, the over protectiveness, the reluctancy to punish me when I do something stupid or reckless like surprise-taco-fiesta-night in the danger room...I vas not on heat then. Nor vas I near it." The German teen looked down at his hands and noticed they were beginning to shake. Not with anger, but a growing anxiety bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to know what he could have done to offend his mentor, but was fearful of the result. If he could have made one of the staff at the institute so aggravated in a matter of days, whose to say that he wouldn't do the same with Ororo? Or the Professor? Until he was finally expelled from the mansion for good!

Sometimes it was easy to forget how much Kurt could pick up on when he was watching closely. Logan had hoped his favoritism hadn't been obvious, that the professor knew from poking around inside his head. Around the mansion it was impossible to hide secrets. Unless you were the Professor that is. The minute the Brotherhood showed up Logan noticed a change within the man. There was something he was keeping to himself, and could take to the grave with him if he wanted.

...

Maybe Kurt knew something...

"Logan. Traditionally vhen a question is asked, an answer is expected."

The answer was wrong. He was wrong for thinking of Kurt in any way other than as a teammate. There was no way that Logan could come clean and admit that he had grown fond of the boy. That he would sit next to the kid every chance he got just so he could enjoy his scent (sweet and warm, like honey) or that he thought of Kurt before he left on any mission and wondered if that was going to be the last time he saw the German's face. Whenever that happened, Logan would take extra time to memorize everything he could about the younger mutant. The look in his eyes, the bashful smile, the way his tail thrashed back and forth when he was excited. He wanted to remember everything he could should he never come back. Such admiration in secret wasn't harmful, as long as Logan kept his feelings in line, but admitting it...

Kurt was a child. He wasn't ready for a commitment let alone one with someone as damaged as Logan.

But Victor wouldn't care and he would not stop until he had Kurt under his arm.

Fear of rejection was one thing, but the Canadian mutant had acted majorly to keep the Elf safe. From himself and now from Victor Creed.

"Hold on a second there bub. Lemme try and find the right words for it." Speaking his feelings had never been Logan's strong suit. Give him slicing robots to shreds any day. "I guess ya could say...you're my favorite student. Only not so...professionally."

That comment managed a smug smirk from the elf. "Zince vhen are you professional?" He asked.

So observant and yet so naive. Logan knew one way that he could get his message across. He just hoped that Kurt had gotten any taste of Creed outta his mouth last night or else he was going to puke. Logan reached over to the elf, cupped his cheeks and lead him into a kiss. He kept it simple; sweet and chaste so that Kurt could pull away any time he wanted. Gentle and sweet; two things Logan wasn't exactly known to be but could be.

The kiss was short, Logan pulled away after a couple seconds, and he waited for Kurt to push him away. Kurt had his eyes closed, his lips slightly parted, expecting more. He opened his eyes slowly, and a faint blush spread across his cheeks. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

" _You were actually jealous of Victor_!"

Not the point Logan wanted to get across but true none the less. "...I may have...just a little bit though! That guy is a...is a total loser."

Kurt giggled, "Vell you could have just said something. I...I have thought of you in a similar manner." Logan wanted him. Words could not describe how relieved he was to hear that the elder's sudden distance around him was not Kurt's own doing! Logan was trying to keep his feelings and desires at bay! The irony being if he had only just spoken to Kurt about it, the younger mutant would have been more than willing to give him a shot. "I, urm, I actually have had these dreams vhere ve vere together..."

Satisfying dreams at that. Kurt loved imagining what Logan could do to him, loved picturing the alpha letting his more primal side take over and ravishing him...And it could happen. Kurt wanted to make it happen. He rose up from the chair, and climbed up onto Logan's cot.

"Elf..."

"Shush." Kurt told him and pressed a finger against Logan's lips. He kept moving up until he could straddle the older mutant's waist, and wrapped his tail around Logan's leg. "I don't like you talking for me, Herr Logan, but if you vork on it, I vould love to be yours."

He moved his finger away from Logan's lips to let him finish speaking. "Not gonna lie," Logan began. "I've had a lot of dreams that start this way but we can't-"

"Nein, ve could..." Kurt replied, and leaned in to kiss, nibble and suck along Logan's neck. "Ve vant this, Ja?" He asked between the kisses. It seemed like Logan wanted it, if the growing erection against the back of his thighs was anything to go by but it was important to ask.

"Ja-yeah. We want this but you're so young Elf. 16 is too young to commit to a mate."

"Scott and Jean did."

"But Scott and Jean are the same age and won't get arrested for having sex." Logan sighed, "Sex isn't everything but you know it's the final stage of finding a mate, consummation, but we could wait. Date and actually become mates when you're 18." It was going to be a rough two years but he could manage it for Kurt. And to prove it, Logan was going to have to say something that wasn't so easy for him. "I...I love ya Kurt. You are a beautiful, intelligent, kind person and I love you. And I'm willing to wait for you."

That had been the first time anyone ever called him beautiful. Blue fur, a tail, strange hands and yellow eyes weren't defined as traditional beauty. Logan saw him as such. He could hear the honesty in his voice. Tears started to build up in Kurt's eyes. Logan noticed, and reached up to wipe them away.

"C'mon blue. Don't cry on me. I just you to stop yelling and hitting me, don't need you crying either." Was it to much to ask for a happy little elf? Logan would rather have him stark raging mad than crying.

It was silly to get choked up over something so simple as being called beautiful. Kurt smiled weakly, suddenly feeling tired, laid down against Logan's chest. A pair of muscular arms wrapped around him, and Kurt made himself comfortable. This close he could smell the thick, musky odor of years of cigars, alcohol and motor oil. Kurt loved it.

"You smell nice." He stated.

Logan chuckled, "First time I heard that." He leaned over and kissed the top of Kurt's head. "...I know you really wanted to...mate but the law is the law darlin'. Can't go around the American judicial system."

American judicial system...

"I have an idea. You know how to start up the Black Bird, Ja?"

~~~~~~

Sometime after Remy left, Victor drifted off into a sound sleep. Kurt and Grant Scott were waiting for him.

He saw the three of them ice skating on the Great Lakes in the winters, picnicking in the summers and watching the sunset. Kurt was at his side, always with one of Victor's arms draped over his shoulders or around his waist. He was grinning and laughing, and would pull Vic into a kiss whenever he least expected it. Grant Scott would gag, and cover his little eyes with his hands, as all children did when exposed to their parents' affection.

Victor would lift his child onto his shoulders and carry him around by the trees so he could touch the branches. Kurt would bamf them up to the highest points of the park so the could watch fireworks upon nightfall. The two would cuddle together, the cub drifting asleep between them, and once the show finished they would return home, put Grant Scott to bed, and enjoy each other's company.

It was perfect. If Victor believed in an afterlife, in heaven, this was surely it. And it would soon be reality.

Soon.

~~~~~~

Given the disastrous results of last night Rogue didn't want to spend any more time in the mansion than she had to. As soon as the coast in her room was clear, she grabbed the book she had been reading and a blanket, and went outside to go read under a tree.

It was nice out. The weather was warm, the new mutants were all held up in training, and there were no possible threats to humanity to take up her time. Finally, she had a moment to herself.

"Bonjour Cher~!"

She knew it wasn't going to last. Though she had to admit, it could have been worse. Aside from Risty who would be dropping in later, Remy was one of the few people she could tolerate. Rogue set her book down beside her, and looked up into the tree above here. There the Cajun was, sitting on a tree branch, looking down at her with a grin.

"Morning Big Easy. What brings you down my way?"

Remy dropped down beside her, and stopped for a second to pluck a couple wayward twigs from his hair. "Remy was just in this here neighborhood and wanted ta zee how ya boy Logan is doin'. Ol'Vic thinks he zocked 'Im good."

Last she saw Wolverine, Kurt was calling him every swear in the German language. "He's fine." She told him, "Just dealin with a couple unforeseen things. How bout you? How you doing?"

The Cajun shrugged, "Can't complain. Though even I must admit, Gambit is a bit lonely. He zpends all his time wit morons. Never has a good conversation any more."

Rogue knew what that was like. She loved her friends, she really did, but there was only so much a person could take of hearing about skateboards, pop music and how cute Lance Alvers' butt looked in skinny jeans. "So you just thought you'd pop in and have a little chat with me? Can't say I'm not interested. Alright. What does Gambit want to talk about?"

Remy shrugged, leaned back and decided to make himself comfortable. He placed his head on Rogue's abdomen so he could look up into her face when they talked. The southern belle flinched, and was glad that she chose to wear one of her more conservative outfits that day, but she didn't push the Cajun away. She hesitated, but eventually started to run her fingers through his hair.

"Don't know Cherie. What do you want to talk about?"

"How about we talk about Gambit?"

"Little Ol'moi? I'm flattered my little papillon. Alright. What do you to know about moi?"

There were a couple things on Rogue's mind. Why was Gambit siding with Magneto of all people? What could he possibly have to gain out of Erik's victory? ...Was he single?

"I don't know. Tell me about ya."

"My dear, they'd need ta make a movie about moi in order for you to understand everything." Gambit supposed he knew where to start. "When Remy was just a wee baby he was taken from his parents. On account of his eyes, everyone down south knew what I was from lookin at me. Was raised by a conman with a small crew behind him. Can't zay it was Ze good life but they treated me right. Til Remy's ol'man got hauled off to prison. Everyone trying to fill the power vacuum, and I just didn't care." That was why he sided with Magneto. He agreed to help get his old man out of prison. Now whadda about your Cher? How does a beautiful woman spend mosta her free time alone?"

"I'm essientally an energy vampire. Can't touch anybody without sucking up all the energy."

"Interesting. You know, my powers are energy related too. Can tap into the energy of an object and make it kinetic. Pretty useful when you're a piece of rebel scum."

"Was that a Return of the Jedi reference?"

"Oui ma'am."

"You know, Empire was the best."

Remy chuckled, "Well now that is true but Attack of the Clones is out next year. Could be the best one yet. All I know is, Remy is going to need someone beautiful to accompany him to the theater."

Rogue wasn't one for cheap flattery, but who was she to pass up the chance to see either the greatest or the worst film of all time with a handsome Cajun boy who could quote Jedi? "Tell ya what Remy. When that movie comes out, if the world hasn't ended, you got yourself a date."  
~~~~~~

Pietro had wanted to say something to him at the dance. Evan didn't know what it possibly could be, but he couldn't rule anything out with him. That he was sick, that he'd been the one to steal his bike back in forth grade, anything was far game.

The mansion seemed quiet today. With Logan and Kurt banished to the infirmary, Beast holding the new mutants up in danger room training, and most of the others taking the excuse to get out for a bit, there was no one running around and hogging all the food, or just being pains in the ass. Evan was on his own with a good chunk of free time. Normally he would ditch this place and go skateboarding in the park but something told him not to. That he needed to stay here and talk to Pietro about last night. Dancing together had been awkward at best, but it wasn't the usual awkward the two experienced. Most of the uncomfortableness came from one stepping on the other's feet. Evan got to Kurt and Pietro's room and knocked once, "Hey 'Tro, you in there?"

No response.

The door was unlocked. Worse came to worse and Pietro was changing, it wasn't like it was anything Evan hadn't seen before. He opened the door, "Pietro?" He called out. The room was empty but the side door to Kurt and Pietro's bathroom was open. Evan stepped inside and shut the door behind him just incase there was something going on and Pietro wanted privacy.

"Tro?" He tried again, "What's wrong? You sick?"

Slowly and cautiously Evan made his way over to the bathroom door. Pietro had never had the strongest stomach and last night he had eaten quite a bit of sugar at the dance. It was more than a little bit possible that his stomach had turned. The lights were on in the bathroom and Evan could hear a faint whimpering. Pietro had always gotten....emotional after throwing up. Evan could remember having to quite literally having to hold the boy after getting the flu back before they had gone separate ways. The speedster told him that it was the feeling afterwards that got him, that left him shivering and whimpering like a scared child.

"It's okay if you're sick man. I can help." He had done such before, the only real difference would be that now they were older. Evan pushed the bathroom door open a bit more, looking around for the other teen. "Pietro...?"

Something was wrong. The floor of Kurt's bathroom was composed of white and light blue tiles. A large portion of them were splattered with a thick, reddish-brown substance. Evan nearly gagged, "Ugh...vomit..." He hoped the red stuff was from the icing on the cupcakes he and Pietro had eaten at the dance that night and not-

"Evan...?"

The porcupine moved further into the bathroom, stepping over the vomit and heading towards the bathtub located near the back of the room. He pulled back the curtain to find his missing speedster, lying there looking more than a little worse for wear. His skin was paler than usual, almost as white as his hair, except for his face which was beat red from sobbing. He was shivering. The teen had his arms wrapped around himself in an effort to keep warm. His shirt was covered in vomit, his normally well kept hair was a mess, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead despite him being nearly frozen to the touch.

Evan, master of comforting the ill, said. "You look like shit."

" _Thank you. Evan_."

"Sorry but you really-"

Pietro waved him off weakly. After vomiting for nearly thirty minutes straight he was tired, he was cold and he wanted to go to bed. "I don't know what happened...I just came in here to fix my hair and the next thing I know I'm trembling on the floor in a pool of my own puke...."

Evan had a good idea why. "Time is running out. Your body is getting ready to enter heat....from what I saw in that video, it looks like it's going to hurt."

"Fuck me..." Pietro groaned. "This sucks...."

Seeing Pietro like this just made Evan bless the gods that he had been an alpha. There was no way he would have ever been capable of handling this sorta shit. From the looks of it though, Pietro wasn't either. Evan offered him a small smile and set to work. "Come on now. It's not so bad." His eyes flashed to the floor, making sure there wasn't any vomit, then knelt down so he and Pietro were at eye level. "I'll clean this up. And then after you have a hot shower, and you know, wash out your mouth, how about we watch a movie or something?"

As much as the thought of cleaning any of this up made Pietro want to commit more, he actually felt guilty placing the burden on Evan. "You don't have to-"

"Hey, when you're friends with Evan Daniels, he's always got your back. Now give me your shirt. It's ruined."

Pietro obliged. He lifted the ruined thing off and handed it over, "You do don't you?" He asked thinking of how many times Evan had come to his rescue in the time he had known him. From bullies to asteroids blowing up. He always defended him and Pietro never even thanked him. Fuck. He was such an asshole...

While Evan grabbed a towel from the cupboard under the sink and started to scrub up the vomit, Pietro forced himself to stand. He placed a hand on the shower wall and forced himself up on shaking knees. Once he was sure he wasn't going to fall into his ass, Pietro started to undo the button and zipper on his jeans. Evan heard him, and looked up slowly. "Uh...Pietro...?"

"I smell like puke and want a hot shower. It's not like you've never seen me naked before."

That was true but the last time he'd seen Pietro naked, the porcupine still had baby fat on his cheeks and Pietro was wearing rainbow roller skates to school. Evan forced his gaze down at the floor and tried to focus on cleaning the tile. Pietro tossed his jeans, socks and boxers into a pile near him on the floor, pulled the shower curtain back over and turned the hot water on. An awkward silence fell between them. Evan focused on removing any drop of throw up from the tiles and Pietro enjoyed the feeling of warm water against his skin.

Finally, Evan spoke. "My mom used to get like this when I was little. If you're anything like her, it'll even out when you start to mature a bit more."

"So...never?" Pietro asked with a laugh. "I'm as childish and youthful as I was in 1999, thank you!"

Except now you're stressing yourself into an early grave over helping your neglectful father take over the world. More than once Evan felt like pointing that out to the other but it wasn't as if Pietro would believe him or actually listen. There were times Evan believed that he knew what was bound to happen to him, but he simply did not care. Evan hoped he was wrong about that.

Without looking over, he heard the shower turn off and the curtain was pulled open. "Mind handing me a towel?"

"Yeah sure man." Evan pulled a larger, fluffier towel out from under the sink and turned to hand it to Pietro. He froze, any possible intelligence thought he had was gone. There in plain view, stood his former best friend in all of his glory. Evan had been right when he knew that two years could make a difference in how someone looked and that having seen each other in the nude in the past was not going to be the same as now. When Pietro and him first slept together, the other boy was still growing into himself as was Evan. They both still had baby fat, and Pietro's hair was shoulder length. His muscles from ballet, gymnastics, track and basketball had not yet become definable, he had yet to grow to his current height, his legs were a bit stumpier and there was this sweet and innocent vibe to the guy which had not yet been lost. Pietro now was almost entirely different. Little beads of water rolled down his lean shoulders and back...his damp hair now out of place and ungelled hung around his ears...And his cock...

Evan had to stop himself before he went any lower than Pietro's belly button. They had just started patching things up. The last thing they needed was Evan becoming a total pervert.

 _Still_...

Years of hard work in athletics and dance had toned Pietro's body perfectly. He didn't have a six pack but he was well muscled, especially in his legs. God damn his legs....long and thin but strong from his running and other extracurricular activities. The thought of having them wrapped around Evan's waist while he-

"Dude...you're kinda freaking me out now. What's wrong?"

"Wha-?"

"You're starring at my feet. Did I cut one of 'em or something?"

Shit. "Or something. You go ahead, pick out a movie and change I'll be in in a second."

Pietro took the towel from Evan and wrapped it around his waist. "Jumanji it is!" He was certain that Scott had put a copy of that film on the Xmen video library. Along with a dozen road rage tapes Lance had brought in with them. While he was getting the tape, Pietro would also grab some medicine for his stomach and a bottle of mouthwash. He patted Evan's shoulder as he went past him, "Hurry up, I'll be waiting...and thanks. For everything man!"

For saving his ass on Asteroid M, for helping him out this week by not being a dick and actually trying to reconnect, for being his friend for so many years and being his friend now.

Pleased to see the Speedster feeling like himself again, Evan turned and watched him hurry off to get the movie with a smile. Jumanji huh? He could remember going and seeing it in theaters with Pietro back when it first came out, and sharing a large tub of popcorn. 'Tro poured an entire thing of skittles into the tub and introduced him to his favorite movie snack. On the way home, Evan asked if he got sucked into a game would Pietro keep playing and the other boy just laughed and said Evan was too smart to get sucked into anything. That he was probably going to be the one getting into that sort of thing and that he was going to count on Evan to bail him out.

That was before they started to drift apart, but even then Evan tried to keep his promises. He was a man of his word and he'd promised a cute little boy that if he was ever in trouble, he would never stop trying to reach him like Sarah did with Alan.

The difference there was Sarah and Alan ended up together in the end. Evan and Pietro did not.

Which was a shame because Pietro had certainly grown into himself...

What was he thinking?! This was Pietro he was talking about! They'd known each other since infancy, they played together as kids, Evan used to go to all Pietro's recitals and gymnastic meets, their first kisses had been with each other...as had been their first times...and...

....

 _Oh no_.

~~~~~~

Dowries were an old school tradition. Alphas and their families paying the parents of an omega to secure their hand....it was a nearly ancient rule. One that Erik never thought he would have to deal with, but it was a tradition he could learn to enjoy. After a little over a week of waiting, a bidding war had started over his son. Each candidate perfect for what the family was trying to do! For the sake of privacy, some details about Pietro had been left off the information his father had sent out. Like that he was no longer a virgin and had not been for years. Or that he was a mutant. Whether he mated mutant or human, Erik believed he could work with both.

In order to get Pietro mated before his heat started, a deadline was placed in the information. Highest bid by midnight that night got the boy's hand. All Erik had to do now was watch the numbers fly in.

An alpha from Russia currently had the highest bid at around four hundred thousand American dollars.

That would provide enough financing for Erik's campaign for the next three years!

He opened a window to reply and tell the Russian that they had been successful when another offer appeared in his inbox right before the clock hit midnight.

"2.5 million dollars in exchange for the hand of the omega Pietro Maximoff."

Erik chocked on the very air he was breathing. 2.5 million for his son?! Who the hell had that much money laying around?! The mob? Casino owners? Mob casino owners?!

This internet thing was new to him, but Erik liked to think he was coming along well. At least with emails and research. He'd gotten that young mutant he added to his team, Rory or something, to show him how to work this infernal thing before the kid took off. The metal-bender clicked on the information sheet that had come along with the bid. The name appeared there was one Erik had never expected. If it weren't for the strength of his mutation, and it's affect on the man's healing and aging, he suspected that just seeing it there may have caused him to have heart failure.

Only those who had their ears pressed to the ground hadn't heard about Graydon Creed. Founder of the Friends of Humanity, a radical conservative, and a known bigot. Everything he said was controversial. Whether he was trying to convince people of the threats posed by unwed mothers or talking about the roles of omegas and what they should do with their bodies, or how all new immigrants to the US needed to get out. The man was a perfect soldier of the Republican Party. He was also, apparently, lonely, loaded and on the fast track to becoming the next president of the United States.

The wheels in the old mutant's head began turning. If Pietro mated this guy, then killed him after Creed secured the presidency, the Maximoff family could exploit it to the full extent. Pietro was a good actor. He could sob on camera about how his husband found out he was a mutant, and loved them the same. About how his view changed and he was murdered by his former friends for that. Toss in a child...a sobbing infant or toddler now with no father, or one on the way who would never know him, and they could have the US public eating out of their palms!

At midnight exactly, an email appeared in the inbox of one Graydon Creed. It was composed of only one word. "Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the Victor/Kurt/Logan arc is coming to an end soon. It should wrap up in chapter nine and then it's all about Evan and Pietro. Speaking of which...
> 
> Next chapter. Rated mature. Enjoy!
> 
> Also, for everyone wondering; yes. That is the Graydon Creed you're thinking of. His existence is explained later, but I know some people are going to be wondering what the hell he'd doing here.


	8. Chapter 8

When Evan finally emerged, bathroom clean and the tile floor sparkling, Pietro had finished downing an entire bottle of peppermint mouth wash, grabbed Scott's copy of the movie, and was watching previews under the covers he'd gotten from Evan's bed. "About time. You can be so slow!" The speedster teased, and moved over so there would be more space on the bed for Evan.

"Heh...yeah." Evan didn't want talk right now. He was hoping to get through this movie with little to no incident, and creep back to his own bed for the night. He'd even let Pietro keep all three of their collective blankets!

If he didn't act, Pietro was going to know something was up. Evan crawled in beside him and the other boy waisted no time wrapping him up in the blankets and telling him how cold he looked. Evan did not know how to explain to him why that was and let Pietro make himself comfortable without a word.

Something was wrong. Pietro may not have been a genius or anything but he could tell when something was bothering Evan. At one point, he exploited that knowledge to get the other even more worked up. Worked every time. He leaned over, and rested his head on Evan's shoulder. "What's wrong? My breath? C'mon I drank an entire bottle of that crap!"

Jesus Christ, a lot of people in this mansion knew how to tell when people were hiding shit. First the Professor (the obvious one) but with Kurt and Rogue and now Pietro too...the minute you signed up to be an Xman privacy was a thing of the past.

"I've...just been wondering...you said some stuff at the dance and I..." Turn the topic away from the increasingly painful and increasingly obvious erection you were sporting Spyke. Quickly...

That hadn't been what Pietro had expected. "Oh." He mumbled. "Yeah. That." Why had he even tried bringing that up? Pietro blamed the slow dancing and nostalgia. Otherwise he would have never even remembered..."It's silly, but remember how I said that I never thought about becoming an omega? I expected to be alpha and never doubted it? That was a lie. I remembered this time...-"

What was this? Was Pietro actually admitting he had been wrong about something? Amazing. Evan nodded to show he was listening and wanted him to continue with the story.

"Right when we first met I told my dad that we were going to be together when we grew up."

So? They had been kids and Evan had told his mother the same somewhere along the line. Kids always assumed they were going to marry their best friends. Hell, up until a while ago Evan would say that he and Pietro came pretty damn close.

"You were my first crush...and he said that we wouldn't. Because he knew you'd be an alpha and still thought I was one too. And I told him that if you were an alpha, I'd be an omega, because we had to be together....I was a naïve little kid." His father had lectured him. Had told him that Maximoffs were not omegas until bedtime and Pietro began to believe him and hope that Evan was the omega. "I just remembered the other night....turns out tiny-child-me had the right idea. At least, about me being an omega. Not about us."

Evan and Pietro were in a bed together, getting along, with the former trying to hide his arousal and the latter was talking about how they didn't end up together while omitting the fact there was still time. Evan cleared his throat, feeling uneasy for even suggesting this. "W-we cou-could."

Pietro had to have heard him wrong. "What was that Evan?"

This was getting him nowhere. Pietro was only going to respond to blunt action. Evan pushed the other boy off him and pinned him to the mattress. Pietro looked up at him quizzically, then his trademark cocky smirk appeared, "Looks like you finally caught me. Only took you what? A year?"

"More like 11." Evan mumbled his reply and pressed his lips against Pietro's. The speedster hadn't been expecting this and Evan used this surprise to his advantage. He slipped his tongue into Pietro's mouth, easily taking control. He tasted like fucking peppermint. For someone so fast, it took Pietro a couple seconds to realize what was happening and figure out how he wanted to respond. He placed his hands on Evan's hips, and flipped them over so he was on top. Without braking the kiss, Pietro reached down to unzip Evan's shorts and toss them aside. Evan broke the kiss with a laugh, "Always a quick one huh?"

Pietro slid one hand down Evan's boxers and ran his fingers along his length. "Of course I am. You should know by know that when it comes to sex, I'm fast and I'm in control." He smirked, and gently griped the base of Evan's dick. "Unless...you have a problem with that? With me being in control?"

The younger of the two moaned, and ran his hands up and down Pietro's sides. He stopped at the other boy's hips, his pajama bottoms getting in the way. He pushed them off and onto the floor, and gave Pietro's ass a squeeze. Soft but firm...just like Evan had remembered it. "You do have more experience." He said with a playful grin.

"Fuck you." Pietro replied with an eye roll. If that was the way Evan wanted to play, Pietro would play along. He let go of Evan's cock, reached over the side of the bed and felt around the floor until he found what he was looking for.

"That's the idea." Evan told him. "Whatcha doing? I'm pretty sure Kurt doesn't have any rubbers or lube laying around-"

"Yeah but I do." Pietro said, producing a small white bottle and roll of condoms out from under the bed. Seeing the weird look he was getting, Pietro decided to elaborate. "That little blue dude is going to loose that V-card some day and when he does, I'm going to make sure he's safe about it. So I brought these from the brotherhood house."

"I don't know if you and Kurt's protectiveness over each other is adorable or just plain weird...but let's not talk about him right now." They were about to bang, it was weird to bring up one of their friends. "Are you sure that you want this...? I mean, you're going through a lot and I don't want to put you under any more pressure..."

This was sex not the S.A.T.s. "I can handle anything you can throw at me mister. So get on it! Don't go starting things you can't finish!"

Evan should have been expecting something like that. "I'm going to fuck the smugness outta you!"

"You can try all you want but I'm warning you, could take months!"

"Well, it's a good thing we have the time huh?"

~~~~~

Pietro was always in control when it came to sex. Always calling the shots. It was the only way he could feel satisfied. One of the downsides to having incredible stamina, it took a lot longer to reach a point of orgasm, and those who did not have the stamina to match would leave him unsatisfied if given control. Evan was almost a match for him there, but still Pietro needed control to feel comfortable. Evan didn't mind. He more than enjoyed watching the speedster work.

Hips rocking and bouncing down around his cock, one hand on Evan's chest to support himself and the other running through his own hair, making a plethora of arousing yet adorable little mewls and moans as Evan thrust up to meet him. The last time they had done this, which had also been their first, Pietro was silent, was writhing beneath him, and as good as it had been, this time felt more....-right. Pietro didn't belong on his hands and knees, he needed to be like this.

Evan had his head thrown back, hands roaming Pietro's ass and helping him keep in rhythm with his thrusts. His eyes were open, watching Pietro's face as he rode him and thinking only three things; Pietro was fucking beautiful. This couldn't be more right. Young Pietro had been right, they were meant to be.

~~~~

"How soon can we proceed? I am very busy man and I would like to have this done and out of the way as quickly as possible."

Of course you would you son of a bitch. "I agree. Pietro should be entering heat in just a couple of days and the sooner he mates, the safer he is. We shall pick him up as soon as you arrive in Bayville."

"He is incredibly fertile correct? An omega unable to produce an heir simply isn't worth a dollar let alone the sum I'm paying you."

That heir will be raised to rip your throat out you douchebag. "My son can give you your heir Mr. Creed. His genetics are spectacular."

"Aside from the whole...blemish. But I suppose that one can be hidden. Maximoff...whatever dribble you call yourself...it will not matter. It will Creed soon enough."

Once Pietro was out of danger, and he had the money from Mr. Creed's account under his belt, Erik was going to enjoy watching him suffer. "Yes and he will make such a wonderful, happy mate."

"Well, isn't landing a rich, successful alpha and popping out a couple of kids every omega's dream? There's not much else they can do."

You'll learn soon enough you twit. "Yes. I suppose that's true. Your flight gets in tomorrow yes?"

"Yes. I will be waiting for you then, Erik."

A long time ago, Magneto would have believed that any possible suitor for his children who referred to him by his first name would be eliminated with extreme force. Times changed. He needed to let this idiot believe he was in control. So he'd smile and act as the dotting, old fashioned daddy, and enjoy ripping out Creed's still beating heart from his chest.

He bid Creed a good night and finished the call, before leaving to check up on some other things.

Tomorrow he'd be one step closer to putting all of this behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm sorry if my smut writing is a bit lame and cliche. I haven't really written much before and these scenes were sorta a way to get outside my comfort zone, plus they fit the story well. 
> 
> Anyway expect another one in the next chapter, resolving and finishing the Wolverine/Nightcrawler/Sabertooth plot line. 
> 
> Enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because I'm in the middle of a move this chapter is a bit late, and to post it before I leave, I had to cut out a couple scenes. I'll add them later in a bonus chapter at the end. Anyways, enjoy, if you can, and the next chapter will be out soon. 
> 
> So what can you expect in the next chapter? Two characters will be making their first actual appearances in the fic and some more allusions to the sequel will be established. 
> 
> This chapter? Lots of Pietro and Evam feels. And Erik is a dick. What did you expect? 
> 
> Enjoy.

* * *

"You can protect us right?"

She looked so helpless. Charles knew that she was more than capable of kicking his ass up and down Main Street, that she had more power than he would ever know. It didn't matter now. In this light she looked like what she truly was; a scared eighteen year old girl. He had to help her.

"I can protect you and your sister. Just come with me back with me to New York. There's enough room-"

She had been through so much...sold into slavery by her mother...experimented on...forced to live off the streets with a mere stranger...he could help them. He could save them. Not just them though. With the girls at his side, they could help so many unfortunate people...

He closed his eyes, just to blink, and everything changed. Before they had been together in the crappy little London flat the two fugitives had been walled up in for the past four months. Decades later and Charles could still remember the faded green wallpaper, the lingering odor of cheap cigar smoke wafting up from the apartment down the street and the sound of off key rock music blasting as kids drove by. Now he was back at the institute, laying on the front lawn, and looking into the eyes of the first mutant he ever tried to help.

She laid on her side, hands lingering over her swollen stomach, barely covered by an old, flimsy blue nightgown, blood trickling down her thigh from where she'd cut it in her attempt to escape. She was mumbling nonsense in an effort to comfort herself, all the while looking right back into Charles' eyes. She said nothing to him, and the telepath did not peak into her mind, but the betrayed, helpless look in her eyes said everything.

"You couldn't protect us. You failed us. And you will fail us again."

He couldn't. He had to protect everyone he could. He had to try!

"CHARLES!"

That wasn't her. That wasn't anyone from this time. It sounded like-

"CHARLES!"

~~~~

Hank had been expecting Kurt and Logan to teleport to freedom, he had been expecting the new mutants to drag their asses and lounge around all day, he'd even been expecting an encounter with some type of threat today. What he had not been expecting was a slick black chopper setting down by the front gate, nearly sending Rogue and her charming Cajun friend flying into the trees.

"Magneto." Who else would be so bold?...Who else did they ever fight?

He found Charles asleep in his office, face down on his desk. His friend and employer may not have been saying anything about it, but ever since the Brotherhood moved into the mansion he seemed to be...exhausted, like his mind was elsewhere. Whatever was distracting him, Hank did not know, nor was he sure he even wanted to. Charles kept things secret for a reason and he chose to believe that those reasons were important.

"Charles. You're going to have to get up."

The professor mumbled something about a bird, and ignored him completely.

"Charles! Charles!" Hank tried again and gave the other man a shake. This time he stirred.

"Wha...? Hank...? I was having the strangest dream about...-" Hank didn't know. Hank wouldn't want to know. Hank would most likely get hurt if he knew. "Never mind. What seems to be the problem?"

As if he needed to ask.

"Magneto has arrived. Pyro and some suit are here as well. Probably looking for Pietro...or a fight...or both."

One day. Just one day Charles would like to be able to sit and relax without Erik bursting in and completely ruining everything. Every damn day for the past twelve years...

"I'll alert the students. Tell them to be prepared for any possible outcome. You and I will see what's bothering him today." Maybe his microwave broke and he felt the need to take it out on someone while Colossus ran to the nearest Walmart. He hoped it was something as stupid as that, but the Professor had a growing suspicion that Hank was right about Magneto's motivation. "Let's go before they cause any damage."

~~~~

Rogue and Remy were the nearest to the chopper when it landed. One minute they were sitting all nice and cozy under a tree, talking about the book that Rogue had been reading, the next minute they were in it. Remy suspected it was more the result of his employer seeing him practically cuddling with one of the enemy and tossing him up there as a pity way of correction than the work of the chopper blades, but he'd worry about that later. Top priority was getting him and Rogue down without braking their necks.

"And here comes Magneto to ruin yet another day...great. Really great." Rogue was beginning to get bored. How many times could one man get his butt handed to him and come back the next day thinking he was going to win again? Couldn't someone new be causing trouble? She turned her attention away from the power hungry mutant and back to Gambit, hanging from a tree branch. "I suppose you're going to go help him, huh?"

"He payz my billz...but Remy hazn't been paid in a while zo...he'z going to stay up here. Be Switzerland to you allies and axis." Magneto wanted Gambit to fight, Magneto would give Gambit a paycheck and something about this didn't feel right. Magneto would have mentioned an attack to the Acolytes if that had been what he'd been planning and who was that guy with him and John? Remy frowned, and watched with Rogue as the trio drew ever closer to the mansion. "Ztay up here wit me Cher, until we figure out whatz up."

Rogue had absolutely no desire to climb down and confront the more experienced mutant yet. She heard the telepathic warning the Professor sent out, saying that their archenemy had arrived and to prepare for a confrontation, but made no attempt yet to move. With Magneto this little home visit could have been over anything, they had no idea how prepared he was. It took nerve to walk right up to your enemy's door, and they just had to hope he didn't have the man-power to back himself up.

~~~~

"You're not going outside."

That comment earned Evan a pillow tossed at his head. The porcupine ducked, waited until the person currently in the bed ran out of pillows, then stood back up again. "It's not that I'm trying to be controlling or think you can't handle it or some crap like that! It's because this guy is a complete and total psychopath!"

From his comfortable position in bed, Pietro folded his arms up in front of his bare chest and shot Evan a glare. "He's also my father."

Still a psychopath, but someone that Pietro could not run from. He crawled out off the bed and before Evan even had the chance to blink, he was dressed. Not in uniform, mostly because Pietro hadn't thought to bring them over after he and the brotherhood got settled but partially because he didn't know the nature of his father's visit, but in his usual casual clothes. Evan had pulled on his X-men uniform as soon as the Professor mentioned Magneto.

"You realize he's most likely here for you?" He asked, and Pietro nodded.

"And that he's not going to be happy that you're here in the mansion and not back at the Brotherhood house?" Again Pietro nodded.

"I mean...Magneto's hardly ever happy but...." Evan didn't know how to explain this without sounding like an idiot. How long had he known Quicksilver? Since infancy? And Magneto had never been a constant figure in Pietro's life. He would be there for a week, gone for a year, back for two days, gone before Christmas. Pietro had essentially raised himself in his father's absence, and with the help of neighbors and teachers, and he had done a good job. But whenever Magneto came back into his life that changed. Every time his father left it took a toll on him, a little piece of Pietro every time. One day he'd be goofing around, rolling around on those ridiculous roller skates, then his father would pop in again and after he left Pietro would be more serious and whenever he did joke about something it wouldn't be funny. It would be a personal jab and it would hurt. What was Pietro going to be like this time? When he was days away from an emotional shit-storm and Magneto was in the verge of being extra pissy? "This time is going to be the worst."

It was. Bad enough he was an omega, top it off with the brotherhood picking up and leaving over night, and this was going to be explosive. Pietro was surprised there wasn't a man-sized hole in the side of the mansion yet.

That wasn't going to offer Evan any comfort. "I can handle my father," Pietro lied. "I'm going to be fine."

Evan had heard that plenty of times before. Even if he stayed firm, locked Pietro up here and went downstairs alone, it wouldn't stop him. When Pietro set his mind to something, come hell or high water it was going to be done. He sighed, and said, "I don't want to loose you again."

"And I don't want anyone here to be hurt because of me." Without the X-dorks, Pietro knew he wouldn't have been able to survive this long. He would have let some random beta jump him to get it over with or put himself out of his misery. They had owed him nothing, especially Evan, his first real friend, who he had betrayed and yet they had accepted him. They had been kind to him. They had allowed the Brotherhood to stay with him for the sole purpose of moral support. This could have all been some ploy to get their information and they were willing to risk it to help him. Sure, some were about hesitant but they had come around in the end. Then there were his own teammates, Toad and Tabitha, Lance and Freddy...they risked their home and the support of Mystique (wherever the bitch was) and Magneto to get him the help he needed. Pietro would not allow anyone of them to be hurt today. "I'll stand behind you. Wait and see what he wants before I do anything stupid."

That was the best Evan was going to get and he knew it. How long would it take Pietro to figure out how to pick the lock on the bedroom door? Two minutes? There was no way they could send Magneto and his goons packing before he got out. "Alright...stay behind me though." At least then Evan could offer him some amount of protection.

Pietro nodded, "I'll stay back. No problem." It wasn't like he actually wanted to see his father right now.

They left the room, Evan making sure Pietro stayed behind him the entire way, and met up with the others by the bottom of the stairs. Pietro quickly noticed Kurt wasn't in attendance. It was hard to miss someone who was blue, fuzzy and had promised to protect you in this very situation. He wasn't the only one to see the absence. His own teammates, who had enough sense to dress casually for this encounter, all shifted around anxiously. Finally, Toad broke the silence.

"Yo, where's Wolverine and the fuzz ball? I'd feel a whole lot safer with someone who can get us the hell outta here around."

"They weren't in the infirmary and they didn't respond to the professor so I don't think that they're here." Jean pointed out. "It isn't unlike them to go off on their own." This was the first time they went off on their own together though, unless you counted Canada.

"Also the X-jet is gone,"Bobby pointed out. He always checked to make sure he had an escape plan right before a battle. This time he lost two of his main exit strategies: flying and teleporting. "I don't think they were planning on us getting attacked today."

This wasn't shaping up well...

Lance crossed his arms in front of his chest, and leaned back against the railing for the stairs. "So let me get this straight," he said. "We're down one of the only people who can somehow keep up with Magneto and his acolytes, and we lost two methods of exit. All we have now is a couple kids, running or somehow getting into the garage and taking a car? That sound right?"

Toad groaned and put his head in his hands. "We're doomed."

All this was going to fall onto his shoulders...they were going to get hurt and it would be his fault....Pietro turned visibly paled and leaned against Evan for some support. He suddenly felt very light headed.

"We'll be fine." Evan stated firmly. For Quicksilver's sake and the sake of the team. "You guys are being incredibly dramatic. It's just Magneto. We've beaten him before. We can do it again without Kurt and Logan."

It was just Magneto. He was going to do the same shit he did every time he tried to take the X-men down a peg. At this point in their relationship with him, the X-men should have known that.

They opened the doors to the mansion, braced for a hunk of metal to be tossed their way...-

And nothing happened.

Magneto, Pyro and the stranger in the suit stood at the bottom of the steps to the mansion, all eyes locked on the Professor, Storm and Beast who had assembled to give them quite the stare down. It reminded Evan of one of those old western movies he used to watch with his parents. When the outlaw and the sheriff both showed up at some dusty little street, hands hovering over their pistols, waiting to draw as townsfolk ran inside to avoid being shot in any misfire. All they needed now was some kick ass suspenseful banjo riffs and they'd be in one hell of a showdown.

"Eric, what brings you to my home uninvited this time?" The Professor asked, knowing that if he left it up to the other mutant, they were going to be standing outside for hours before he finally just cut his losses and attacked. "And with friends."

The man in the suit studied the group; teens in funky bodysuits, a lady with a cape and white hair, a bald man with the most high tech looking wheelchair he'd ever seen and what looked a gorilla with shorts. And he'd though this John guy was weird looking. "Did we interrupt some sorta fantasy role-playing convention?"

Magneto seemed unphased. In fact, the man grinned and gestured to the newcomer he'd brought over. "I'm quite certain you're familiar with my friend here. Graydon Creed, a Republican Party nominee for president, billionaire and eligible bachelor."

The Professor snorted, "So what? You and this guy getting married or something? Otherwise why do you think I would care?"

Toad let out a low whistle, "Professor X is getting savage...cool dawg. I can dig it."

Freddy said nothing but he did push his teammate back behind the rest of the group so they wouldn't have to hear anymore comments from him.

"Charles, please, you know that I'm all alpha." If he wasn't here looking to pick a fight, from the tone of his voice, Magneto sounded almost...flirty. Evan looked around at his teammates, wondering if he was the only one who heard it. Seeing as Scott was trying not to gag, he took that as a no. That disgusting thought was going to be front and center in their collective nightmares that night! "Anyways, this strapping young man is for Pietro. I've handled his little, erm, problem."

Pietro went pale. He was normally pale to begin with but he was almost a sheet now, his face was almost as white as his hair. His hands started to shake, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't get them to stop. This had not been what he had been expecting when he told his father about his condition. The speedster grabbed Evan's hand and gave it a squeeze, needing to feel grounded or else he felt he was going to faint. To his ever growing relief, Evan squeezed back.

Scott and Jean had been living under the care of the Professor for years. He practically raised Scott after he was bounced out of his third foster family. In all those years, neither had ever quite seen the Professor like this. His eye started to twitch, and when he spoke he sounded like sounded like he was barely keeping it together. If it weren't for that stupid helmet Erik's brains would be splattered across the pavement. "Erik. My friend. This man is in his thirties. Pietro is barely sixteen."

"And your point is?"

"Get him off my lawn and stay away from Pietro. NOW!"

Graydon shook his head in disbelief, "Such a mouth on an omega. By this age you would have expected him to learn his place. And I'll have you know, sir, that I'm twenty eight."

"Yes," Erik said in agreement. "You would have thought so. I also would have thought that he had given up any right he had to be concerned about Pietro's affairs 13 years ago. And here we stand."

13 years...

While his teammates and friends stood shaking with fury at Graydon's audacity to speak to their guardian in such a manor, Evan couldn't get past what the metal-maniac said. Thirteen years...a right to be concerned...all alpha...a lack of pictures of Magda but tons of Pietro and his sister...a mysterious relative who looked like Wanda...

Evan looked from Magneto, to the Professor, to Pietro and then back to Magneto and the Professor squaring off like an old married couple.

...

...Holy shit...

...

 ** _Holy shit_**!

"I am only going to give you one more chance. Leave now or else!" The Professor snarled, "I'm tired of these games!"

Graydon snorted and produced a large mobile phone from the pocket of his blazer. "Sure. Yeah. Leave and let my mate stay here with you to wait out his heat right? And I'll just let my generous dowry slide, hmm? Ha! Here's the deal old man, you let my mate come with me or I'll have this place in so much red tape, swarmed with reporters, that you won't be able to go to the bathroom without bumping into someone with a microphone!"

Reporters? The idea of the press supporting a 28 year old trying to mate with a 16 year old was laughable at best but what if they stumbled across something else? Like the fact that every resident in this place was born with mutant powers? Pietro knew how that would go down. Treatment as second class citizens, being expelled from school, endless ridicule and humiliation, increased risks of violence from people who feared them...life would become hell and the team would be pushed to their limits every day. It was something Pietro wouldn't wish upon his worst enemies. Who, up until a couple days ago, were the X-men.

"I don't care! Get your goons and get the hell off of my property-!"

The Professor and Magneto could have spent the next decade just screaming at each other. Graydon could call every contact he had and have the place up in red tape before anyone could blink. Pyro would have this place in ashes in a split second. Either way people were going to get hurt. In one way or another. Pietro sighed softly to himself, let go of Evan's hand and stepped forward.

"Forget where this place is and let's go." He mumbled, his eyes locked on the ground and refusing to look up at meet Graydon's or his father's.

"What?!"

"Pietro!"

"You don't have to do this!"

"Get back!"

His friends, the Brotherhood, he didn't want to see their faces when he walked away from them. That was his father's plan all along. The brotherhood was never a permanent fit for Quicksilver, and he had originally supposed to have left in the aftermath of Magneto's next plan...but they actually cared about him. They were so worried about his well being when he presented that they were willing to put their pride aside and turn to their enemies for help. They stayed with him. They defended him at school. They were more than his teammates they were his friends, the first ones he'd made in years...

This was going to sting.

Even the X-men were concerned, and from the sounds of it, feeling a little betrayed. Scott, Kitty and Jean who he barely spoke with even after moving in were crying out for him to get back...and then there was Kurt! His friend Kurt! What was going to happen when he got back from wherever he ran off with Wolverine?! He'd promised Pietro that he would help protect him, and the moment his back was turned Pietro was forced into leaving. How could he handle something like this?! It would crush his gentle soul!

"Pietro...-"

Evan grabbed onto Pietro's wrist as he passed by, holding him back. "You don't have to do this...stay...please."

How many times had Evan stick his neck out for him, even when they didn't get along? More than Pietro would like to admit, and he wasn't the only one. So many people had been making sacrifices for him, now it was his turn.

"I'm sorry Evan." Pietro said, and pulled his hand back. "I have to."

Magneto smirked, and watched as his son slowly made his way over to them. Graydon wrapped an arm around Pietro's shoulders and started to lead him back over to the chopper. Still smirking, Magneto winked at the Professor, and then left along with Pyro, Graydon and his son. The Professor grit his teeth and managed to resist the urge to call Erik a pompous, self-centered prick. The brotherhood and the X-men fell deathly silent, all eyes watching as the Chopper lifted and took off, taking Quicksilver along with it. Evan didn't understand. Why wouldn't he...why now...how could he...This was the first time Pietro had been acting like himself in years, that they had been getting along, and Evan just...he felt so stupid for believing that this could actually work out. That they could work and...-

This wasn't fair. They were working things out. They could have been fine but...but...

"But...I finally got him back..."

~~~~

Kurt didn't know how he got himself into these situations. Granted, this was the first time he'd ever been in this particular situation before. He stood in a hotel bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror, and wondering what Logan could possibly see in him. He was lanky, he had big eyes, and from what he could see at this angle, a flat ass. A flat ass with a tail in the way. Not to mention way too much fur. Sure, some people liked hair but this was taking it to the x-treme.

Logan had been sincere about wanting to be his mate. Everything was all set, all they needed to do now was consummate their union. This had all been Kurt's idea, staking the X-jet, running off to Germany, consummating...but he had come in to get a quick shower before they actually did anything and after stepping out from the warm, relaxing spray, he saw himself in the mirror and couldn't help but let his mind wander.

He left his image inducer on the bathroom counter while he showered. Kurt grabbed it, slid it on his wrist and turned it back on to it's normal setting. He still had a flat ass and was lanky, but at least this way he wasn't a fur ball. Logan had been in there earlier, taking a shower himself, and his dirty clothes were still in a heap on the floor. Kurt scooped up his shirt and pulled it on over his head. Naturally it was big on him, but soft and comfortable, and it smelled like Logan.

"You alright Darlin'?"

Speak of devil, there he was. The older mutant was waiting in bed for Kurt to finish up so they could get busy. As much as Kurt wanted to make that happen, he couldn't help but feel nervous. His first time and it was with his Logan, the guy he'd been having wet dreams about since he turned up at the mansion and his future mate...

"I'm alright. I'll be out in a minute." Assuming he didn't vomit out of pure nervousness first.

One final check in the mirror. Okay, he looked as good as he was going to get. Time to go out and see what he could do. Kurt took a deep breath, opened the bathroom door and strode out. "Hey."

Logan was lounging on the bed completely nude, arms folded back behind his head casually. His eyes roamed up and down the younger mutant's body, taking everything in, and grinning. If his growing erection was anything to go by, Logan liked what he saw. Wow. He was huge..."Hey yourself. You look gorgeous Kurt."

Kurt blushed, and slowly made his way over to the bed. He sat down beside Logan, smiling nervously and trying not to stare. Logan was perfect. Some much muscle and power, hair and cock...he was the perfect alpha. The older mutant sat up, and reached over to turn off Kurt's image inducer.

"Except for that." Logan stated, "I want the real Kurt to be my mate. Blue fur and all."

The German couldn't help but giggle, and fiddle with the hem of the shirt he'd stolen from Logan. It wasn't often someone who preferred the fuzzy dude in his natural form. "Logan..."

Logan chuckled himself and started pressing kisses along Kurt's jaw and neck. Kurt smiled and leaned back against him. "Do you still want to do this tonight?" Logan asked in between. "I have no problem waiting Darlin'.

"I've been vaiting sixteen years," Kurt replied, "I don't think I vait any longer. I-...I need this, need you now."

He wrapped his arms around Logan's abdomen and pulled him back onto the bed with him. Logan chuckled, this time at the omega's eagerness, and ran his hands up Kurt's shirt, enjoying the soft feeling of Kurt's fur against his palms. Until the Elf was eighteen they were going to have to go to Germany whenever Kurt was in heat and hold off on sex otherwise. Might as well enjoy it when they could.

"Then you'll get me, darlin."


	10. Chapter 10

Though he knew he had to get back, and that a stupid, silly little five dollar bet was nothing compared to the shit that just hit the fan, Remy hung around the institute. He felt invisible to everyone but Rogue, as they all were too stunned or panicked to even realize his presence, but he felt a need. Rogue and him had watched with disbelief as his employer just swooped in and talked his son into leaving with a much older man. Remy had known that the thought had crossed Magneto's mind once or twice, but to actually go through with it. To put a price on your own child...as much as it disturbed him, it sickened Rogue a lot more.

"Mutants are terrible parents." She muttered to Remy as they sat around the kitchen counter, though he felt it was partially towards herself as well. "Mystique...Magneto...our kind shouldn't be allowed to breed."

Remy never knew his birth parents. They could have been mutants but he supposed he would never know at this point. So he nodded and said, "Remy agreez Cher." Though he had not met Mystique in person, the Cajun had heard enough about her to know that her relationship with her offspring was not exactly admirable.

"One of the few reasons ah'm actually glad to be celibate...can't bring a child into this mess and fuck up their life."

Gambit had to disagree with that. "Dunno. Remy wouldn't mind havin' a lil'Gambit or Gambita runnin' around zomeday."

"That's probably what Mystique said," Rogue fired back bitterly. "Then she goes and fucks up her son's life. Kurt is...an amazing person but he's been through so much. It's impossible to go through that and not come out damaged."

"Well...I dunno about Kurt but Remy thinkz he turned out okay."

"Oh yeah Big Easy? Aside from listening to Magneto for a couple months, what have you been through to make you so damaged?"

"Remy waz kidnapped az a baby and raized by thievez. Remy waz nearly mated at 16 to this alpha to make peace between our crewz, only to get chazes out of hiz hometown by her angry family. Remy bounced around from mercenary job to mercenary job to try and make enough to buy hiz way in back home....but Remy iz moderately happy and thinkz he'z okay." He never thought much about the steps leading up to this point. About all the little mistakes he'd made along the way. When it came to his past, Remy thought most about his father and his biological parents. Looking back on his life now though, he was beginning to realize that it wasn't as bad as he thought. "I mean, you like me doncha' Cher? And if a kind, zweet lady like you likes me than Remy muzt be doin' zomething right."

Remy hoped that he was doing something right. Then Rogue looked up at him, a soft little smile on her lips and the fury slowly diminishing in her eyes, and he knew he was doing something right.

They heard the front door opening and closing but neither made an attempt to answer it. Bobby had been wandering around the grounds ever since Pietro had left, trying to wrap his head around something. A higher understanding of what had just happened, a solution to their problem, anything. He may have just been coming back in from another lap. Footsteps seemed to echo off the walls and grew louder and louder until a head popped around the kitchen door. "Mornin' Rogue! Door was open so I thought I'd just pop in!"

"Risty." Rogue said, she had forgotten about Risty's impending visit. Right now they needed as much pep as they could get. "Hello Risty."

The Brit grinned and strode right into the kitchen, taking the remaining empty seat on Gambit's right. "Well now, who is this charming lad?"

"Gambit, Remy and apparently Big Easy." He had to admit, the nickname was growing on him. "And you, petite lapin, must be Risty."

"I am. Now what's going on around here? I saw that chap Bobby lookin' like someone kicked his puppy to death. Someone die?"

Rogue didn't see much point in hiding what had transpired from Risty. She may have been a human, but at this point if she hadn't started to piece together what was going on at this place she was downright stupid. She was an alpha. She would know how these things worked with some families and how much trouble Pietro was in for. But much like the Xmen, she would have no idea where to begin looking for Pietro or how they could help him once they did find him.

"Well girl, it's a long story..."

~~~~~

Evan waited until Hank had left the Professor and his aunt alone in his office before making his move. The second Beast was out of the room, Evan entered and slammed the door shut behind him. "We're not idiots you know."

"Evan...?" Ororo asked, and cocked an eyebrow in surprise. She knew that her nephew was a bit hot-headed and what had happened earlier with Pietro would have soured his mood but to come barging into the Professor's office? Something else had to be up.

He looked between the two of them, and grit his teeth together, trying to restrain his urge to scream. No one else had to know about this. Not yet. "You kept secrets from us. About Mystique being Miss Darkholme and her relationship with Kurt...but this?! Why would you?! We have a right to know stuff like this! So shitbags like Magneto don't push us around!"

Ororo scowled, "Watch your language young man!"

This was usually the point where Evan backed down. Auntie O could also manage to calm him enough to keep his temper moderately under wraps. Not this time. The Professor and her had gone too far this time and Pietro had paid the price. "We found your book," he informed them both. "We're not the first class of X-men are we? There was one before us and Mystique, Magneto and Kurt's father were members. Something happened and they went rogue on you, and you replaced them with us! You lied to Kurt about knowing who he was and you lied to Pietro! You lied to your son!"

The professor shifted uncomfortably and directed his gaze out the nearest window. "My son David is with his mother-"

"No. Not David. Pietro. He's your child. Wanda too. Yours and that douchebag Erik's!" He felt so stupid for not seeing it before. Magda wasn't Pietro's mother, she was his half-sister's mother! The reason Pietro couldn't see his mother in any of the photos was he was looking for the wrong omega! The man with the brown hair, present every time, that was who he should have been looking for! A young Charles Xavier!

The Professor hung his head, but said nothing. Storm looked at the floor, and swallowed nervously. How many years, how many excellent lies and cover ups, only to be caught now? Evan's eyes darted from one to the other, trying to figure out who to take his frustrations out on, who to crucify, but when he finally spoke, his voice was weak and cracked against his will. "Why would you let him take him...? Why would you let him lock up Wanda?...Why would you chose to mate with that man of all people?...but...why didn't you tell...tell us? Tell them? They nee-needed you..."

"October 1985."

"What?"

Professor X cleared his throat and straightened up, but kept his gaze directed out the window. "October 1985. The twins were only a couple months old. Raven was heavily pregnant. Ororo had yet to be an aunt. We lived here. The team of twelve, including my...my step-daughter Anya, my newly found mate Erik...a telepath named Emma Frost, a young Ororo Monroe and a man from Russia who answered to the moniker of Azazel. We helped people. We wanted peace. But we were rash and foolish, reckless. Some were able to piece together who we were and they did what everyone does when they get scared. They destroyed...-"

~~~~

_October 5th, 1985_

Charles had been sitting in the nursery for hours trying to sooth his infant daughter. She cried constantly, and it almost seemed like she had abandonment issues. As soon as he set her down and turned to leave, the crying would begin again. Her brother was the opposite. He slept constantly and barely made a peep. However he was insanely curious and the minute he was alone, the boy would be crawling off around the room or down the hall, or one terrifying evening out the front door. Thank goodness Erik was fast enough to catch him or they may have had a missing child on their hands.

There was a knock on the door and the telepath looked back over his shoulder to see Raven standing in the doorway. He smiled warmly at her and said, "You are absolutely glowing."

Nine months pregnant, and still the most emotionally secure one in the mansion. Raven was his oldest friend, his confident, the first mutant he'd ever helped. It was hard for him to imagine that ten years ago, her and her "sister" Emma were running around the streets of London stealing change and scraps to afford a night's rent. She entered the room and sat down beside him on the spare couch that Erik had brought in for them. Since Wanda couldn't stand being alone, it was becoming more and more common for the two of them to curl up there for the night.

"She's high strung. Like Erik." Raven mused, and ran her fingers through Wanda's little black curls. "Teenage years are going to be a nightmare."

"Can't be worse than having a teleporting, shape-shifting child. Like that isn't going to be hell to deal with."

Raven laughed, though Charles knew that the thought of her child being able to accomplish both feats while in a period of rebelling and self-discovery was something that had kept her awake at night before. "I'll put a tracking chip in their ear when they turn two. Or let Azazel handle it."

Sulfur smelling violet smoke clouds filled a corner of the room, and a man dressed in all black appeared. Wanda started to cough, and Charles wasted no time swatting them away from her. "Speak of the devil," he mumbled. "What have I told you about not teleporting near my babies?"

The man, Azazel, shrugged. "To not do."

"Yes, then why do you keep doing it?"

"I had an emergency."

"What kind?"

"I woke up and my _lyubovnik_ was not in my bed." He practically dropped beside Raven on the couch, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and placing his other hand on her swollen stomach. "Are you and our _dragotsennyy syn_ alright?"

Charles rolled his eyes and murmured something about Azazel being dramatic whilst swatting a teleportation smoke cloud away from Wanda's head.

"I am fine. I just heard crying and wanted to speak with Charles for a bit," Raven explained. "And how do you even know our child is a boy? We didn't ask to know the sex when i got my ultrasounds. They could be a girl."

Azazel smirked and shook his head. " _Nyet_. He is a boy. I can tell. Just like I said that Charles was having twins."

"That was a fluke. Not even Emma, a telepath, could tell there was another baby."

"No offense, Myshka, but your sister's gift does not help her with infants. Charles and Erik have twins like I said they would, we will have a boy and I know already what his name should be."

"If it's anything like your earlier suggestions of Ivan or Bruno, I'm going to smack you."

Azazel shook his head. "Nyet. Kurt."

"....Kurt?" Raven repeated. "Kurt...?"

"Yes. Kurt. I like Kurt."

That had to be the most normal suggestion Azazel had made yet. Considering the last twenty names he put forward for his unborn child included Gareth, Jimothy, Zalik, Denurilaga and Malija, Charles would take Kurt. Raven rubbed tiny circles on her stomach, repeating the name Kurt over and over slowly. "It's...not bad. I like Kurt. If it's a boy that is. I like Marie for a girl."

The ninth month seemed a bit late to be deciding names but considering the majority of Raven's pregnancy was spent on coping with Charles' mood swings and how they effected his powers, dodging the typical monster attack and trying to keep the location of the mansion a secret, along with the horrible name suggestions made earlier, it was understandable. And they had teased Erik for wanting to call their son Pietro!

Wanda yawned, all that crying finally tiring her out, and shut her eyes. She buried her little head into Charles' chest and once he was certain she was asleep, stood up, crossed the room and placed her in her crib. Her brother slept a couple feet away, snoring softly, and reminding Charles once more just how much like his father he was.

"We should leave before we wake them." Raven whispered to Azazel who nodded in agreement, and helped her up onto her feet. "Besides I'm getting tired myself."

Raven didn't teleport while she was pregnant. Azazel wasn't sure what effect it would have on their developing child and seeing as their room was just down the hall, it seemed safer to walk than risk any harm. Charles bid the two goodnight, kicked his feet up on the couch and got comfortable. With Wanda it was standard to wait about twenty minutes before it could be confirmed that she was asleep.

Emma and Anya had been downstairs playing video games the last time he checked, Ororo was helping a couple new recruits settle in and he could spend the next few little bit taking some time for himself...

"Evening Charles."

Well...time for himself and Erik.

His mate had been out all day, speaking with his ex. about setting a trust up for when Anya finished high school and picking up some things for the mansion. He did not disappoint when it came to splurging on junk food. The metal bender wasted no time attaching himself to the telepath, and pressing a couple kisses along his temple. "I miss anything?"

"They're infants, Erik, not performers. If you turn your back they're not going to do backflips."

"Hmm. You're moody. Wanda being clingy again?"

"That has nothing to do with my mood." Charles informed him, "I'm just...well I don't know how to describe it. I have the strangest sensation that something...well...bad is going to happen tonight." But what or when, he had no clue.

To his surprise, Erik laughed. "You're just being paranoid, my love. This institution is one of the most secure facilities on the planet, you know this. Besides, no one knows that we are here or have reason to attack us. You're fine. I'm fine. The children are fine. Everyone is fine."

While his words provided some comfort, the feeling remained. Charles supposed it could have been a stomach pain from eating Emma's attempt at fish tacos for dinner and tried his best to shrug it off. Somehow even with this feeling of unknown feeling of dread, he managed to doze off soon after.

He and Erik woke up four hours later to the sounds of bloodcurdling screams, heavy boots jogging up the stairs and gunfire.

" _No_!" Erik hissed through gritted teeth, too terrified to scream out incase he gave away their location. The sound of boot-clad feet were getting louder...they were just down the hall...

Charles's hands flew to his temples and he attempted to freeze time. No one had to be hurt. The X-men didn't want to hurt. In this moment he bought them, he and Erik could gather their friends and escape! He concentrated, and to his utter horror nothing happened. He felt nothing and worse yet, he couldn't get a reading on anyone in the mansion. Not even his mate who was grabbing the twins from their cribs.

"Erik! My powers-!"

"It doesn't matter now!" The fierceness in Erik's voice cut like a knife. He couldn't fight, he couldn't defend and the realization that their only option was to flee wasn't exactly a settling one. "Take Pietro! We have to get out of here!"

"The others-" Raven. Ororo...Anya.

If Erik heard him, he chose not to respond. He yanked open the nursery window and crawled out onto the roof, cradling Wanda close to his chest. Charles grabbed Pietro who was still half-asleep and unaware of any danger he was in, and followed. They couldn't take their time. Any minute now whoever was after them would knock down the nursery down, notice the open window and climb out themselves in pursuit. Erik lead the way, grimacing every time he heard a scream. Charles did too, and pulled their son a little closer. Finally they reached a lower part of the roof where they were able to jump down. Charles went first, careful not to hurt the baby in his arms, and Erik came shortly after. The jolt from the fall had Wanda opening her tiny eyes, but for once she was quiet. She hardly ever seemed to cry when Erik held her...

The couple ran across the property, occasionally ducking behind brush to avoid being seen. Once Charles nearly tripped over what appeared to be a large titanium stake that had been wedged into the ground, but given the events unfolding at that time his priority was not to investigate. They finally stopped when they reached the forest's edge, and took cover behind some trees.

"The others!" Charles' voice was an urgent whisper. "I didn't see-"

"I know." Erik replied, and set Wanda down in his lap. "I'm going back for them."

"Are you insane?! You can't go alone-"

"You have to stay with the Twins. I have to get Anya!"

" _Erik_...!"

The bushes behind them started to rustle, and a small, trembling hand was placed on the Professor's shoulder. He whipped around as fast as he could while holding two squirmy infants, only to find that his fear was unnecessary. Behind him, baring a couple scraps and small cuts but no major injuries, was Ororo Monroe.

"I-i was in the kitchen..." She explained, "Talking with...with Angel...and then she sa-said she felt sick. And I did too. And the-then these men came in and they...-and they...-"

She couldn't finish. Storm burst into tears and that was all Charles needed to know about what had happened to their new recruit Angel.

"Everything is going to be okay." At this point, Charles didn't know if it was or not, but he had to remain optimistic. "Just stay calm. We will find a way to help the others. All three of us-"

Erik was gone. Off sprinting towards the mansion like a madman. Anya was still in there. And Raven. And the recruits, some as young as eighteen! To him, now wasn't a time to talk. It was a time for action.

" _He's going to get killed_!" Ororo mumbled, and had to avert her eyes. Seeing one friend butchered tonight was enough.

He was. Unless Charles stopped him. "Watch the twins," He told Storm, and she almost happily obliged. The twins were small and soft and something she could use to ground herself for the moment. "And if someone starts heading your way, run. Don't worry about the rest of us. Just get them out of here." His flesh and blood...Charles prayed this would not be the last he saw of them.

Erik had already made it back up the front steps and through the front door. Charles started to run after him, even tried calling him again telepathically to the same useless effect, but he lost sight of the alpha. When Charles was just a couple feet from the door, Raven came darting out. She pushed past him, the old blue nightgown she had been wearing when they spoke earlier stained with blood and tears flowing down her face. Charles stopped dead in his tracks, and watched back over his shoulder as she tried to make it to the forest. She tripped and stumbled, before finally giving up and collapsing on the front lawn, her hands roaming her belly and mumbling sweet nothings to comfort herself.

" _Raven_ -!" He called to her, just as he heard a loud crack and felt a searing pain in his back. He fell forward, landing in the grass not far from where Raven lay. And she looked into his eyes, and he looked into hers. Though she said nothing to him, she said everything. The protection, the help, the peace and the love, everything he had promised her and Emma when they were teenage runaways in London, had fallen apart. Charles closed his eyes and hoped that Storm had gotten as far away as she could with his children. If they could survive that night there was still hope for the future.

~~~~~

"-I woke up shortly after in a local hospital. I had been shot in the back and paralyzed. Your aunt had the wisdom to run for help and call the police from the nearest pay-phone. But the damage had already been done. There were twelve X-men not including the twins, and only four came out alive. Me, Erik, Raven and Storm."

They never found out who initiated the attack. Whether it was the early work of Trask, or whoever began the Weapon X program in the seventies, the Professor had never been able to identify.

"Erik...lost his daughter, lost his friends and his entire family had been threatened. That...can change a man. And while his heart is in the right place, the methods he uses to try and reach his goals are not."

He wasn't there when Charles woke up. He had already started to gather support for Mutant rights and try and assemble himself the fortune and the followers to start a revolution.

"The spikes around the property were power dampeners. They knew we had telepaths and teleporters, and didn't want any possible escapes."  
  
Whoever they were, they made their biggest mistake there.

"Azazel...and Emma were lost. And Raven took it hard. She left for Siberia, to stay with Azazel's family shortly after. Until I met Kurt, I had assumed she had miscarried in the attack. From what I have seen in Rogue's memories and from reading their minds, Erik followed her. Raven is powerful, but her Achilles Heel can be easily manipulated. He knew this and molded her into the woman you fight today."

Raven couldn't be alone. She didn't think right when she was alone...

"I knew that...the only way to prevent a similar incident was by educating the public. By preparing for the worst. So I rebuilt the school with your aunt's assistance. And I recruited Logan."

They found him at a bar a couple blocks away, hustling pool. He didn't object to free meal and board for a couple nights and became accustom to the mutants who made the mansion their home.

"I didn't even see Erik again until three years had passed. In the meantime, I raised the twins. But when Erik showed up again I knew that something was wrong. That he had changed. I...I had hoped that raising Pietro and Wanda, that being around his children, may help bring the Erik I knew back."

Wanda cried constantly throughout infancy, but overall became a quiet toddler. She kept to herself reading or coloring pictures for Charles and Storm. Pietro turned into a ball of energy who demanded park visits every two hours and had the stickiest fingers of any three year old Charles had ever seen. By the time he was two, Pietro was banned from several stores in the mall including the Pet Store and Best Buy.

"And Storm and myself did not tell anyone. For fear of it happening again, and fear of the fear of it happening again driving those who needed our help away. And..."

In one night of misfortune, Charles had lost everything he worked for. His career, his friends, his family...it all lay in ruins all around him.

"...Because it hurt too much."

Well...Evan had not been expecting such a...graphic description of events. He sat down on the nearest chair and started rubbing his forehead, feeling a migraine coming on. "Okay. Wow." Pietro was going to freak when he heard about this. "...but what can we do for him now? Whoever...Erik was in the past, he's different now. And he's putting his son in danger."

Charles knew that and he had tried to be firm earlier. Of course when Graydon Creed pulled out the threat of reporters that all went to hell. "I fully intend to prevent any harm from coming to Pietro but at the moment a solution is...difficult to come by. Too many X-men would definitely been seen as a news article by Creed, and too few would be wiped out by Maneto."

Storm nodded in agreement and added, "What we need is a couple strong mutants with powers that will allow us to subdue Creed long enough for Charles to erase his mind-"

"-And someone who knows where Pietro can even be found." Charles added, "I checked cyrebro after they left and found nothing."

A couple of strong mutants...

"What about Sabertooth?" Evan asked, and pulled his cellphone out from his pocket. "He and Kurt are buddies now...I can call the fuzzy dude and get him to send the Canadian terror our way!"

Kurt may have run off without much notice but he would have known to take his phone with him....right?

"It's worth a shot. But do tell Mr. Wagner that I do not appreciate him and Logan taking the X-jet without permission." Given how useful it could have been today, a little notice in advance would have been nice. But the Professor would find a way to make them realize why later.

~~~~~

He shouldn't have answered the phone. It had been set on the nightstand sometime after he and Logan arrived and nearly forgotten until it started going off. Kurt made a couple poor attempts to grab it, knocking a couple items onto the floor in the process, before finally snatching the phone. Whoever this was, someone had better be dying!

"Vhat?!" He asked, in a tone much harsher than he had intended.

"...Kurt? That you man? You sound-"

"Ja. It's me. Vhat do you vant Evan?"

"Okay. Don't freak out. It's just something happened at the mansion and we're going to need some extra man-power around here-"

"Ve're not coming back yet!"

"No, no, no! We just need-...wait is Wolverine actually with you? I just thought that he went off to play pool or something."

"Logan is here vith-AHH~!...vith me."

"...Kurt what was that?"

"Noth-Uh~...nothing. Nothing! I-GAH~!"

"Kurt! What the hell?! We need Sabertooth's number!"

"Hold on..! It's on this rock I put in my dresser....Oh mein Gott~! Ja~! Ja~!"

"Kurt! KURT!?"

This was ridiculous and Logan had had enough. He thrust into his new mate again, and while Kurt was still writhing beneath him in pleasure, took the phone from his hand. "Porcupine?"

"...Logan? What are you two...Wait. Wait! WHAT?!"

" **STOP FUCKING CALLING**!" Logan snarled and hurled the device straight at the nearest wall. It shattered and the pieces fell to the floor. "Damn kid..."

Kurt looked at his shattered phone, all the while rocking down to keep in time with Logan's thrusts. "I hope that vasn't important..."

"With Evan?" Logan asked with a snort. "That kid takes nothing seriously and still acts over dramatic about it...Are you alright? I mean, do you wanna stop?"

He was right. With Evan it was probably nothing. A broken skateboard curtesy of some punks who needed an ass-beating by angry mutants. "Are you kidding me? I vant to continue here, then maybe take it to the shower!"

"Round seven? Darlin' you are insatiable." Good thing Logan was too. He leaned in and captured Kurt's lips in a rough kiss. When they parted, the alpha quickly added. "Too soon to be talking about round eight?"

Kurt laughed, "Vith the vay ve are going, I'd say that ve could be up to round twenty-three by the time ve're done!"

Which, just so happened, to suit him and Logan just fine.

~~~~~

The line went dead and Evan decided he wouldn't try again. His head was full of mental pictures; ones that would leave him scared for months, maybe even years to come. Auntie O and the Professor stood there, waiting for a response, but Evan could only think of one thing to say, "Oh my god they're fucking."

All the color rushed to Storm's face and she nearly choked on air. "W-what?"

"Kurt and Logan stole the X-jet...so they could fuck. They're fucking..." Something told him that this wasn't what Kurt's parents in Germany thought he would be experiencing when they agreed to let him stay with Xavier.

Charles sighed. He had been expecting as much. Once the two were back, he was going to have to have a long chat about acceptable behavior with them. "Did Kurt say anything useful?"

"Uh...I don't know....I just...they were...when I called and I just...I just can't get that image out of my head!" Logan may have been a short man but Kurt, at this point in his life, was shorter and scrawnier too! How were they able to have sex without someone (Kurt) being hurt?! "FUCK! I don't know...I don't know..." He should have been paying attention. Their one chance of finding Pietro and he fucked it up! Well, technically Kurt and Logan fucked up...and probably down, and sideways and- There he went again with the mental pictures!

"Someone's in a grumpy mood, huh?"

The three turned back to the doorframe and at the young woman standing there. Rogue's friend Risty, some English exchange student. She'd been around the mansion before, and at this point, everyone assumed that she'd figured out what was really going at this school. Charles waved her off, "Ah, Miss Wilde. I believe Rogue was in the kitchen with a friend if you were-"

"Already spoke with them. And the little lovebirds went off for a walk. I told them I'd stay behind, had to chat with Jean about a school project."

"Great," Evan replied. "But Jean is upstairs. Not here. You can go now."

"Righto, except for one tiny thing."

"Oh? And what's that?"

Risty changed. Her skin turned a dark shade of blue, her violet hair brightened to an orange and grew longer just as she turned taller. When the transformation was finished, Mystique was left standing where she had been as Risty moments before. "I know where Quicksilver is and I know how to get him back."

"Mystique!" Storm growled, and outside the office windows Evan could see storm clouds rolling in. His aunt's eyes flashed and lightening clashed outside. He had to stop her! Evan sprinted to her side and gently but firmly grabbed a hold of her wrist,

"Auntie O, no!"

"I'm not here to fight the X-men! I want to fight Magneto!" Mystique insisted. "The form I used to get close to Rogue was never to harm the X-men! Believe me when I saw I've had enough of your little group!"

The second Risty became Mystique it was like a door had opened. In the form of the girl, Charles could read nothing but what she thought of at that moment. Now he could see everything. Every memory, every suppressed secret, every failure and mistake. She had been hiding before. Not now. "You think that Erik wronged you," he stated cooly. "On Asteroid M after years of sacrifice. You blame him for loosing what little family you had left...Rogue and Kurt...and you want vengeance. You are full of anger, Mystique, but...in this particular situation...you are not lying. You want to help. And then you want to go off the grid."

What she chose to do after they were done didn't matter now! All Evan cared about was getting to Pietro. "You know where he is?!" He demanded. " ** _Tell us_**!"

"In time. First things first, I want your agreement to let me come with you."

"No way!" Storm hissed, but her words fell on Evan's deaf ears.

"Fine. Whatever you want." He said, "Now where is he?!"

"Not yet," Mystique told him. "There is another condition. I need Charles to allow me and a friend to pick up another mutant. Someone who can help save Pietro from this travesty. You wanted manpower, Evan, and you will get it."

Charles knew exactly who she was talking about. The one person strong enough and angry enough to face down Magneto, to do the one thing they were all scared to do. He didn't want to...but Erik was leaving him no choice...

"Who?" Evan asked, and Mystique just smirked,

"Wanda Maximoff."

~~~~~

He should have known better....

Victor didn't believe he was a genuinely stupid man but sometimes he surprised even himself. He should have known better than this! He should have known that no creature as amazing as Kurt Wagner, as beautiful as Kurt Wagner, as smart or as kind as Kurt Wagner would ever be interested in a beast like him! The notion that someone as sweet as the boy could ever love him was foolish dribble! Victor wasn't worthy of love!

But then...neither was the runt...

He had swung by the mansion late that day, easily dodging the security and the wanderings of some pretty lost looking X-men. He briefly wondered what had happened, then caught scent of his employer and it began clear. No one liked being attacked in their own home. But even that couldn't bring down his mood. By the time he left, Victor would be happily mated and he would kiss all this mutant-terrorist crap goodbye!

The big cat was on his way to Kurt's window, grinning, actually happy, when he passed by an open window and heard something that shook him to the core.

"Kurt and Logan stole the X-jet...so they could fuck. They're fucking..."

...What? No. It had to be a mistake! There was no way Kurt would ever-...he and Logan were-...but he...he had sided with...

Victor forced back a bitter laugh, and swiftly moved away from the window to avoid detection. He started to run, and didn't stop until he reached the forest on the edge of the institute. Once there, he let out a roar, searing with rage. How could he?! How could that puny little runt defile such a sublime being?! Kurt was a god! He deserved respect and tenderness, not some quick, cheap fuck in another country! When Victor got his hands on that little bratty alpha, he was going to rip his balls off and shove them down his throat! He was going to show Logan who the real alpha was! He was going to...-

An image flashed before Victor's eyes. Of Kurt standing there, his shirt stained with blood and tears pouring down his cheeks. There was something wrong with his eyes, with his whole face, and it took Vic a second to realize what it was. His soft, welcoming gaze had become hard. The hope had vanished from his eyes. Hope in the future, and belief that there was good in everyone. In that image, Kurt had learned that he had rescued a monster who turned on him and murdered his mate.

Kurt wouldn't just let anyone fuck him. He wanted a mate. Someone who would love him for as long as he lived and for whatever reason, he found that in Logan. Victor was in love with Kurt, but the kid, his Adonis, was in love with Victor's greatest rival.

There was something that had to have made Kurt love Logan. He wasn't a stupid boy, he wouldn't rush into something as serious without reason.

He saved Victor's life. He helped him. He cared for him, and treated him like a person and not a beast, even after all he had done. But if Victor were to take Ru-Logan away...Kurt would give up. All that kindness and respect would be for nothing and he would become bitter and spiteful, like Victor. Something so pure needed to be protected.

Victor knew what he had to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Emma and Azazel are based off their movie counterparts. There is no way in hell comic!Azazel would ever be so...cuddly but come on. Kurt's been through enough in Evo! Let him have a dad who did love him.


	11. Chapter 11

For the most part Pietro was left to his own devices. Once they were off the chopper, his father escorted him to a room not far from his own and, strangely enough, before leaving to attend to some business matters he told Pietro that he loved him and was proud of him. That was enough for the speedster to know that something was going on, that his father was planning to use him for something. Creed had to be involved, but at this point Pietro didn't know nor did he care to know what it was. He sat on the bed in his new accommodations, his knees pulled up to his chest and hoping to whatever God would listen that Graydon be struck down immediately. That he would have a change of heart and leave, or do something to send Magneto chasing him off their property for good. It would not happen. This he knew, but clinging to the hope that it would was all he could find comfort in at the moment.

Pyro came in sometime later with food. He smiled at Pietro, sympathetically, and told him that he was going to be alright. Something about those words coming out of the mouth of someone who made Pietro question whether or not he was entirely sane weren't as comforting as they would be coming from another person. John seemed to notice Pietro's lack of comfort from his words, and misunderstood that as a sign to try and comfort the boy further.

"Being an omega sucks," he stated quite plainly. "You feel like a stranger in your own body, everyone looks at you different, treats you different and all you want most days is to crawl up in a ball and die."

Huh. Pietro had to have misheard him. What John was saying made actual sense, had nothing to do with fire and it was the most relatable thing anyone has told him about his status since Pietro presented. He nodded a little, to show that he agreed and hoped that John had a point that was as relevant.

"Everyone expects things from ya. That you're going to want to start popping out lil'babies, and get a mate as quickly as you can...and some do. And there's nothing wrong with it. But the fact of the matter is, it's a choice. Your choice. You decide if and when you want to have kids and how many, you decide who you want as your mate, if you even want one. And everyone's going act weird about it, like it's somehow their business, but who gives a flying fuck? As long as you make yourself happy, whatever status you got don't matter."

John was hiding something. Something that, without a doubt, had to be monstrously screwed up in order for him to even make half this much sense. Pietro was tempted to ask, but thought better of it and decided to try and take comfort in his words without trying to find the source of their sway over him. He started to eat, and got up to leave. Before he did though, the Australian paused at the door, remembering something that he had omitted earlier, and called back,

"Creed wants to take you as his mate tonight. Before you hit your heat. Magneto...is allowing this. He will not be around much then, and neither will I." His employer had made that quite clear that he didn't trust Pyro to be around when it happened. Pyro understood why and as disgusting as it made him feel, he could not do anything. He had to fall in line. "In the meantime, I've been asked to help you...prepare."

"Prepare for what? To be raped?!"

"That is not how..." John couldn't even finish that statement. He knew that what Pietro stated was more correct than anything Magneto could drill into his head. "-...Arranged mates should be outlawed. But they won't be. And even then some are going to find their way around it. So please, just let me help you get through this."

"What do you care?" Pietro demanded, "Why would you, of all people, want to help me?!"

John did not respond to him, and left the room.

~~~~~

The last time Evan had ever seen Wanda Maximoff they were six year old kids playing hide and seek in the park with a gaggle of other children from the neighborhood. When he'd heard from Pietro a couple days later she was in the hospital being treated and he wasn't sure when she'd be able to come home, it had been depressing but Evan hadn't really known her. She was Pietro's sister, always tagging along with him, but a popular girl herself. For some reason the other kids had always liked Wanda more. Evan had been the odd one out there.

The Professor had been keeping contact with his daughter ever since he found out about her incarceration, and searching every corner of the world for someone capable of getting through to her. Now he finally had that person, and there was chance of bringing his baby girl home.

Some years ago Mystique had made contact with a powerful mutant known as Agatha Harkness. With powers similar to Wanda's, and decades of control, the woman was more than skilled enough to help her. And more importantly, willing to. While Mystique left to collect her and bring her over to the alley behind the asylum, Spyke and Xavier went ahead to go and speak with her in the dingey little room she'd been forced to endure in. As for Storm, she stayed behind at the mansion to "rally the troops" as her nephew had put it. They had to hear from someone they could trust and whom they respected that Mystique was genuinely interested in helping them retrieve Pietro. The brotherhood would have no problems believing such but with the X-men...

Years of lying didn't exactly give the shapeshifter a good reputation. And Rogue wasn't going to be too pleased to find out just how close she had gotten to her.

The plan was set. Mystique and Agatha would be waiting in the alley behind the asylum to help Wanda subdue her powers until they got to where Magneto was located. He only had ties to so many properties, all of which Mystique had frequented at one point or another, and it would only take Professor X seconds to signal out which one was currently I use. At that point, the Brotherhood and the X-men would get over there as quickly as possible. They all knew what was going to happen if they didn't get there in time. That Erik would allow this, would literally sell his son like a used car, sickened each of them.

The inside of the Asylum didn't look much better than the out. It reminded Evan way to much like an old horror movie he used to watch when he was twelve. About a mentally disturbed man who killed everyone who tried to help him in his hospital. Dark, brick walls, staff who couldn't care less about the living conditions of their patients, psychopaths screaming from rooms down the hall. Yep. All Evan needed was a video camera and he was all set to make the perfect lost-footage horror flick. The Professor remained quiet the entire time. Evan hoped he was mulling over the numerous ways he could destroy Magneto and Graydon Creed before they even laid a finger on his child.

On days where she felt more in control, which were rare and far between lately, Wanda was kept in a small padded cell not far from the main chamber where she was usually kept. A guard escorted the pair down, reciting the rules of visitation to Evan as this was his first visit, but they fell on deaf ears. He was a man on a mission, and nothing else mattered to him right now besides getting his friend back.

"Wanda," The guard called in through a small, mail-shaped slot in the door. "You have visitors."

She didn't respond. The guard opened the door anyway and Spyke caught his first glimpse of Wanda Maximoff in ten years. She was huddled in the corner, dressed in traditional asylum uniform and a straight jacket, her deep blue eyes locked on the door and the people standing there. Maximoff blue. Evan had never seen a shade quite like theirs and he believed it should have its own distinction. Her hair was ink black, and a mess of tangles bad knots. It hung in her eyes and something told Evan, hadn't been maintained in years. She looked feral, like Wolverine or Sabertooth in the middle of their fights.

The professor choked up a little, but managed to say, "Hello Wanda."

"Hey..."Evan said, and slowly took a couple steps into the room. "Do you...remember me?"

She nodded, "Pietro's friend." She growled and above her, the sole light in the room started to flicker.

"Yeah. Pietro's friend. That's why I'm...your brother is in danger."

The coolness of Wanda's reply shocked him. Even after growing up so distant from him. "So?"

"You can help him." Charles explained, "Wanda, we want to take you out of here and back to the school. We have someone who knows how to help you, but we are going to need your help to rescue your brother. Your father...he, after learning that Pietro is an omega, has decided to...marry him off."

Wanda wasn't stupid. She may have been in the hospital for a decade but she knew what it meant to be an omega. There were others in the hospital, ones with severe problems, which developed as part of being an omega. Pietro being one...didn't surprise her in the slightest. And her father taking advantage of that...again didn't surprise her.

She hadn't seen Pietro for years. She had no idea what he was like as a person now, or if he still cared about her. The night Erik dropped her off, Pietro had held her hand for most of it and he looked away when she was calling for him. He was just a little kid but so was she. She needed her twin.

Like how he needed her now.

Seeing the conflicted look in her eyes, Evan managed a small smile and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "He loves you. And he misses you." He told her. It wasn't a lie. After Wanda left, Pietro had been a wreck for almost a year. He still wasn't completely over her loss. Evan considered that to be the first big chip of Pietro's personality that his father took away. "Plus you get to do what all of us have wanted to do for years and beat the shit out of your dad."

"Alright. I'll help." Mostly because of her brother. Mostly.

~~~~

When John returned a little less than half an hour later, he was carrying towels and an assortment of hair and hygiene products. He set them at the foot of the bed, then gestured to the adjoining bathroom. "You have to shower."

"Why?"

"It's..." The pyromaniac didn't want to say tradition. Tradition implied that the family had been doing this for generations, like that of his own. Magneto was looking for a way out. "Please shower Pietro."

Quicksilver had never been good with orders from anyone but his father. Even then he seemed to fuck up constantly. He sat up slowly, pulling the blanket he'd been using for warmth off over his head and eyed the products given to him along with the towels. Soap, an expensive type of shampoo, body wash, and...

His eyes fell upon another product in a long, light purple container. The writing on the side appeared to be in French, in white letters but Pietro had seen this product before. Every Time public schools held sexual health events this product was proudly displayed at every omega information booth. There had been numerous petitions around Bayville to ban its presence at these events, some of which Pietro had signed himself. He snatched up the bottle and hurled straight at John's head.

"HOW DARE YOU!" He hissed, "HOW DARE YOU EVEN BRING THIS ANYWHERE NEAR ME!"

When people thought of an Omega's reproductive health, they thought of being able to pop out as many babies as possible without them becoming "whores", without them having too much sex. This product was the embodiment of that ideal. A "revolutionary" new skin cream that had been scientifically proven to increase an omega's fertility. How it worked, Pietro had no fucking idea and he didn't want to know. He didn't even want to be in the same room with it! As if his biology wasn't sensitive enough as it is, who knew what would happen if he ever tried to use this crap!

John sighed and let the container hit him in the face. "Your father-"

"My FATHER wants me to use this stuff for tonight?!"

John scooped the bottle up off the floor and set it back among the hygiene products before nodding.

"Okay, I have heard of people desperately wanting grandkids but this! This is just..Just wrong!" So many different fucking levels of wrong! The entire spectrum of wrong! "Get rid of it!"

"I can't do that Pietro. Please just go clean yourself up."

"And if I don't?"

"Your father will be very displeased." Pyro knew what he was supposed to say. Magneto had made him repeat the words over and over until his mouth went completely dry and he felt sick. He knew his son would start to have doubts, would consider running away, but he needed him here. He needed him to go through with this for the sake of the mission. Mutant supremacy...it needed a lot of sacrifices to make happen. "He exhausted every resource to find you a suitable mate, one who matched yourself in caliber, and you refuse him? If you don't mate soon, when your heat hits in the next couple of days you may as well being holding a sign saying "Easy lay". Unmated alphas and betas are not going to hold back."

He could see fear present in Pietro's eyes. He knew the boy wanted to be saved from such a fate, and that he did fear not handling his problem soon, but John still struggled on the next part he'd memorized for his boss. He didn't agree with a word of it, but there was nothing he could do to change it. "You call this rape, being mated to Graydon, but what will you call it when hundreds of alphas from miles around forcibly take you repeatedly against your will?" It was rape both ways. John knew it. Magneto did too, even though he would rather die than admit it. "Your father simply wants to protect you from such harm. To reject his help, after he tirelessly searched for the perfect mate for you, and to let him watch you throw your life away...its just selfish."

John hates himself more at that moment than he did in his twenty two years of life. He could see the lingering spark of hope in the boy's eyes flicker and burn out, and a cool, exhausted sadness take its place. Pietro scooped up the products on the end of the bed, the fertility product included, stood up and vanished into the bathroom. A couple minutes later John could hear the shower running.

"God forgive me." He mumbled softly under his breath, and left to tell Magneto that his son was going along with the plan.

~~~

This seemed like the beginning to a bad joke.

What do you get when you take one super powered team of teens, an "evil" super powered team of teens, a perpetual liar, a weather goddess, a half man half gorilla, a bald guy, an old lady and a teenage edge lord girl with barely a grip on her powers and force them into the same jet you, erm, borrowed from the very guy you're trying to stop, together? A fucking nightmare. That's what you fucking got.

Lance was air sick. So was Magma. Mystique and Storm were fighting, Beast was trying to get them to stop, and the whole plan was a hive of chatter. Evan felt like his head was going to explode! And then there was Wanda. Poor Wanda! She hadn't been around this many people in years! She just sat in her seat, legs pulled up to her chest and looking out the window. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now and Evan didn't really blame her. This would have been quite intimidating.

"So you know where he is?" Evan had to shout over the noise. His worst fear was going to the wrong location, after wrong location, until they were finally just too late.

"Yes! He's at Mount Arrow-Rose. Magneto has a base up near the top of the mountain and away the trails!"

Castles, Ski lodges, Historic homes, when Erik picked a base he picked one with style, Evan would give the old bastard that much.

Over most of the static, Evan could hear Scott trying to play leader and hand out assignments. The Brotherhood would get Pietro. They were his teammates, his friends, they trusted him. They alone were the only ones capable of convincing him to leave with the group. The X-men would hold off Magneto and his minions. Pyro and Colossus, unnamed mutants he only recently scooped up. Remy was back at the mansion, making himself comfortable and helping himself to the food. Rogue had offered him an invitation to tag along but the guy wasn't all that interested in facing his boss. The Professor, who was in a hurry to get to Pietro before anything could escalate, told him to stay out of Cerebro and left him to his own devices. Something he knew he was going to regret later. As for the others, Storm, Mystique, The Professor and Beast, they were going to handle Creed. Wipe his mind clear of any mutants and see to it he spent the rest of his life believing he was Brad Pitt. That would give them a laugh or too.

Of course, Spyke had zero intention of following orders right now. He wanted to get to Pietro, he wanted to punch both Magneto and Creed in the face, it wasn't hard to choose who exactly he was going after once they landed.

The jet had been Mystique's, so she was piloting it. Storm sat beside her, firing insults and jabs, with Mystique firing them right back. It reminded Evan way too much of long car trips with his parents for him to be completely comfortable. The only plus side to having the shape shifter fly; she was fast. US Air Force fast. Evan briefly wondered if she had ever received professional training but put that thought out of is head. He couldn't think about such useless shit right now. He had to think about what he was going to do when they landed!

Get to Pietro. Punch Magneto. Punch Creed. Get to Pietro. Punch Magneto. Punch Creed. Get to Pietro...

~~~~

The fertility product burned his skin. It felt like pouring sterilized alcohol out on to an open wound. It sizzled and seared for ten minutes, then the pain slowly began to lessen and fade away. Pietro supposed that meant it was staring to work.

He came out of the bathroom, hair still damp, nothing but a thin towel wrapped around his waist. He expected to be alone, or at the very most, for John to be waiting for him. He wasn't but Pietro wasn't alone. Graydon Creed sat on the edge of his bed, still clad in the formal suit and tie he had been wearing to pick Pietro up from the mansion. He looked up when he heard the door to the bathroom open and his eyes lit up upon seeing Pietro. He looked him up and down, pausing a little longer on his legs and abdomen than the speedster felt comfortable for. Suddenly he felt naked.

"Aren't you just as pretty as a picture?" The alpha asked, "Smell nice too. Sweet. Like frosting."

Pietro didn't want to be alone with him right now. He looked over at the clock on the wall. How long has he been in the shower? It couldn't possibly be time for him to sell his soul was it? No. It was still early. He still had time. John had said this was going to happen tonight....

"Mr. Creed...-"

"That's a bit formal don't you think?" Graydon asked, and reclined backwards onto the bed. He tucked his arms behind his head casually, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Mr. Creed...you're making it sound like I'm your boss and not your mate. You can call me...-"

Graydon. Creed. Asshole. Cunt. Douchebag. Motherfucker.

Creed's eyes lit up once more with malice delight. "You know what sweet thing? Why don't you just call me Daddy?"

Pietro felt sick.

"I'd really rather not..."

"Well, that doesn't really matter now does it sweetie?" Graydon asked, "I ain't a formal person. I don't want my mate calling me by our surname."

"I could call you Graydon-" Fuckface. Shit canoe. Asshole.

He shook his head. "Uh uh. Only my friends and equals can call me that. You're just my mate."

Pietro wanted to claw his eyes out. " _Darling_." He spat through gritted teeth.

"Too cutesy, sweet thing. No, I think that Daddy will suit us just fine."

Now would be a brilliant time for his father to be randomly strolling by in the hall....

...nothing.

"I mean, given how desperately your body is crying out for me, it won't be long until I'll be an actual daddy."

What the fuck was with all these people and reproduction?! It was gross! It looked incredibly painful! Kids were horrible!

"I don't want kids." He reached a point now were he really didn't care. All these people wanted him to immediately start popping out babies...it wasn't like he couldn't in twenty years! You know, when he was more secure and stable!

"Yeah you do. All omegas want kids."

"Not this one."

Graydon sighed out of frustration. Pietro wanted to do nothing more than smoother him with one of the pillows on the bed. "Well," he said slowly. "It happens. Not like you do much if you get pregnant during your heat or outside of it."

"Abortion-"

"Murder. And expensive. How exactly are you going to pay for one, sweet thing?"

Fucker. Fucker. Fucker! FUCKER!

This was getting old fast. Pietro took a deep breath in order to calm himself and keep himself from acting rash. He made his choice. This was what he had to do to protect his friends, to protect Evan...

Evan...

He'd never see him again..

The speedster shook his head, and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't get emotional, show weakness in front of Creed. He'd sense it and use it against him. Pietro forced himself to step out of the bathroom, and went over to the dresser. As he had suspected, his father had packed it with some clothes similar in tastes to that which Pietro usually wore. "Get out. I'm going to change."

He didn't dare glance back over his shoulder at the bed. Pietro could hear the bed springs rock, and the sound of Creed's expensive leather boots clicking against the floorboards. He felt a pair of large but soft hands grab his hips and yank him back over to the bed. "No you're not."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Pietro hissed, kicking and trying to push Creed's hands off him. "We're not mates yet! There's still paperwork and ceremonial stuff and-"

"I know. I know!" Creed told him, his voice a hushed whisper. That was enough for Pietro to know that his father didn't know about this. Creed was trying be sneaky about this. "But you will be soon. Whether this happens or not. So come on Sweet Thing. Don't pretend like you're new at this."

"NEW AT WHAT-"

Creed placed one of his hands on Pietro's ass and gave it a squeeze. The other wrapped around, and found its place on the speedster's inner thigh. He started moving it up and down slowly, and getting closer and closer to grazing Pietro's cock. "You want this..."

No! No, no, no! "DAD! JOHN! DAAAD!"

Creed took his hand off Pietro's ass and covered his mouth, making little shushing sounds. "Just keep quiet and it'll all be over soon...-"

This wasn't happening! It couldn't be happening! Not to him! He was Pietro Maximoff! He slept with the entire swim team back in New York! He had more ex. Lovers than he did As on his report cards! He wasn't supposed to have it like this!

His father wouldn't come. He'd let Creed get away with this and seek revenge later, leaving his son to pick up the shattered pieces of his emotional state. He never took action when it came to Pietro. Just sat back and waited.

John wouldn't come either. For the sole reason that Magneto wouldn't let him. Pietro wasn't stupid. He saw the guilt in the Australian's eyes. John may have acted insane half of the time, but he had limits. This was one of them.

Wanda couldn't come. She was locked up. Pietro couldn't save her then and she couldn't save him now.

There was only ever one person who was constantly there for Pietro. Even when he was loosing it or was too much to handle. He helped him out again and again, looked at him like the boy he was when they first met and treated him like he was; a complicated, troubled omega with feelings and opinions, and a need for help. Like right now. He wasn't here to hear Pietro screaming his name, to answer his calls for help, but that didn't mean the speedster wasn't going to try.

"EVAN!"

~~~~~~~

Something was wrong. Wanda didn't know how to explain it to the others but she knew that something was seriously wrong here. A nervous feeling had been manifesting in her stomach the entire ride, and these people, these X-men were giving her a massive migraine, but something felt even...stranger. Something was going on inside her father's quant little base and she had to get to the bottom of it. NOW. However, she couldn't do it alone. That guy, Evan, her brother's friend, he been staring off into space and avoiding as much chitchat as he possibly could the entire ride. Unlike the others, he didn't care about what happened to Magneto or his team. All he wanted to do was to get to her brother. She could use that.

Rising slowly, she made her way to Evan's side and lightly tapped on his shoulder to catch his attention. "Something is happening. We have to go."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I sense something is happening. I'm not sure why but..." Her twin. When they were just children and her powers had not been as erratic, somehow Wanda always knew when Pietro was going to get beat up and needed her help. Twin's intuition...but could that connection last after nearly a decade? "...I think Pietro needs our help. We have to go now."

Pietro...Evan bolted up, ready to take action. It took him a moment to notice that they had a bit of a problem. "Okay. So what's the plan? We'll be landing in a couple minutes so just run in there guns blazing or-"

That wouldn't be fast enough. Wanda had other plans. Gripping Evan's wrist, she pulled him over to the emergency door and opened it with one good, strong kick. The latch broke, and freezing air greeted them both. The others started screaming, for them not to be so stupid, but once the door to a plane was opened in midair, it was hard to stop. Wanda jumped first, taking Evan out with her.

He screamed. This was something he had had nightmares about on more than one occasion and while they weren't as high in altitude as they had been on the trip over, jumping out of a plane without a parachute wasn't high on his list of things to do. Wanda grilled his wrist a little tighter and their fall began to slow down. Soon it didn't feel like falling, more like drifting. Casually drifting down to the ground like a piece of paper. Wanda set the two of them down safely a couple feet from the entrance to the little lodge her father was using, and while the impact sent a couple sharp pangs of protest through Spyke's legs, he'd had worst landings. They were running in, guns blazing, just a couple seconds after they had boots on he ground.

"PIETRO!?" He called out, and hoped to whatever God would listen that he wasn't too late. That he and Wanda were right. He was beginning to see why Pietro had looked up to his sister so much as a kid. She was pretty badass. Without breaking stride, she flexed her wrist and tore the door to the base completely off its hinges! He was definitely going to have to ever to stay off her bad side!

They weren't greeted by the acolytes, as Evan had suspected they would be. A couple henchmen, dressed completely in black, came forward but they were no match for him and Wanda. She swatted them against one wall, and he pinned them to the other. They didn't even stop running. Henchmen really weren't what they used to be...

It was a couple more doors down, and a lot more henchmen, before one of Magneto's inner circle decided to make an appearance. They burst into a room, expecting torture experiments and crying mutants, and found Pyro, sitting on a plush couch, wearing board shorts and a tank top, and reading a teen gossip magazine. He didn't look up.

"Magneto is downstairs," he said. "Alone. Pietro is in the room at the end of the hall upstairs. You didn't get this from me."

Henchmen really weren't all they used to be.

Evan couldn't tell if this was a trap or Pyro genuinely wanted to see his boss get his ass kicked by his teenage daughter. The pyromaniac looked bored, but as far as Evan could see, that suit that amplified his powers was nowhere near by. He was still a formidable opponent, but this was the first time any X-men had seen him so...casually. So vulnerable. Wanda seemed to trust him. She nodded him a thanks and darted back into the hall, set on finding her way to the basement. Evan would follow, but he didn't want to be there when the shit hit the fan. Wanda could take care of herself, this she had proven.

"Uh..." He didn't know what to say. What could you say to a guy who burned thousands of buildings just to listen to and watch the chaos, yet may have helped you save your...whatever Pietro was to him. Friend? Rival? Lover? Enemy?... "Thanks man."

Pyro waved him off, burying his nose deeper into his magazine. Evan, deciding it was best not to test the man, doubled back as Wanda had done to recheck for doors leading upstairs. He would take this nut's sudden burst of kindness and basic decency as the miracle it was and not squander it. Back in the quaint little room at the end of the hall, Pyro's hands started to shake and crumble the ends of his magazine. He forced back a sob, but was unable to stop the tears from falling from eyes and onto the page.

God forgive him.

Evan didn't look back. He kept running ahead, forcing each door he passed one and calling in for Pietro. Nothing. No calls back from his oldest friend, no playful jabs, nothing. Just the screams of whoever encountered Wanda on her mission and the Professor trying to call them both back. Not until he had the speedster and knew he was safe. He found a door leading upstairs not too far down the main hall, and listened carefully. There were people upstairs. He could hear their muffled chatter and quite distinctly-"

"EVAN!"

That was Pietro, it had to be, and he needed him! Evan bolted upstairs, and burst into the first room he saw. The door had been shut and locked, but having spikes popping out of your body at your own will helped eliminate that problem. And most of the door. It splintered and crumbled to shreds upon impact.

Pietro was there. Wet and nearly glistening, damp hair hanging in his eyes, and nothing but a flimsy old towel around his waist. It was something from a wet dream. If only Creed, the ugly bastard, wasn't holding him down with his big meaty paws and hovering over him.

Any rational thought Evan had, any possibility of him trying to reason with Creed and get out of this situation without exposing their powers, died. He could hear Pietro shouting at him, and Creed screaming for him to get out, but it was static. He shot a couple warning spikes at the bed, narrowly missing Creed, and sending the alpha scrambling backwards and cussing at him. Pietro forced himself up into a sitting position, adjusting the towel he was using to cover himself. "Evan what are you-"

Creed was screaming about monsters. That the kids he'd seen earlier weren't just in costume. They were monsters and they were coming to kill him. Evan produced a smaller spike from his palm, resembling a throwing blade of sorts, and tossed it at the first glimpse of the older man he saw. Creed was trying to crawl away. Coward.

"Fucking monsters!" The alpha screamed out in terror, and backed up as closely as he could with the bed in the way. "What the hell are you?!"

Evan produced another smaller spike from his palm. The end, as he had wanted it to be, was razor sharp. "Your worst nightmare."

"Evan!" Pietro was still screaming at him. Still sitting on the very bed he was nearly raped on, and still trying to maintain what little modesty he had left with that old towel. There was a sudden sternness in his voice. A confidence which had been nonexistent minutes earlier. "Evan!"

He could kill him. No one would miss Creed and he would learn the lesson for laying his hands on an unwilling participant. He would vanish into obscurity. In five years no one would remember the simple-minded alpha who nearly became president and who nearly raped a Maximoff?

At lightning speed, Pietro leaped up from his spot on the bed and rushed to Evan's side. He grabbed his wrist, and forced the alpha to turn around and look into his eyes. Maximoff blue eyes...deeper and richer than any other shade of Evan had ever seen. At one point they had been full of joy and hope, excitement for his future. Until it was extinguished by his father. By an alpha who had started out with the noble intention of protecting his family; of protecting his mate, his eldest daughter Anya, Wanda and Pietro.

Oh god...

It was easy for someone to loose control of themselves. To let vengeance take over...

...What had Erik been like before he became Magneto? There had to have been some kind of personality. One good enough to make Charles Xavier fall in love with him.

Evan unfurled his fingers and let Pietro take the spike from his hand. The speedster offered him a smile, a gentle one but still one of the most genuine smiles he'd seen from Pietro in a while. "Thank you," he said softly. "For your help, and your concern, and for coming to rescue me...countless times in the past couple of years, but..." He looked down at the spike now in his own hand, held tight by elegant fingers. "May I?"

Graydon needed to learn his lesson still...

And Pietro needed to be the one who gave it to him.

Evan nodded, and took a step back. "Have fun. When you're done, the rest of the team should be other just landing or getting ready to break down the door." Which Wanda technically already did. Evan was beginning to wonder why the Professor hadn't searched around to find someway for her to join the team sooner. She would have been a lot of help on Asteroid M.

Creed was still cowering on the other side of the bed when Pietro came over. He knelt down in front of him, took a deep breath, and began. "Forget what you've seen here and at the Xavier institute. Never speak of it to anyone, never send anyone to it, forget everything. Or else we're going to come back and you're never going to be heard from again."

The Professor wouldn't allow murder, but they would find a way to ruin Creed permanently. Have someone wipe his mind clear of any stable thought. Pietro would have been up for doing that tonight if he wasn't so damn tired of everything.

"The deal you have with my father..." His father would be disappointed. That thought repeated itself over and over inside Pietro's head but he just shook it off. He stopped caring what his father thought when he threw his son to the wolves. This place was big, but there was no way he couldn't hear Pietro calling for help earlier. He chose to ignore him and so now Pietro would chose to do the same. "...Settle it out yourselves. I'm leaving and if you come looking for me, it won't end well."

Creed was terrified but not of the speedster he's forced himself upon. He was afraid of his brute of a friend. If the threats had been from him, maybe Creed would have backed off slowly. But this was Pietro! His fiancé! "Listen here you little bitch-"

He reached out to grab the teen's arm but Pietro was quicker. Faster than Graydon could blink, Pietro had knocked him back onto the floor and brought the spike he'd gotten from Evan down into the alpha's hand. Creed screamed and writhed beneath him in pain, blood slowly oozing out from around the spike and onto his arm and the floor, and Pietro stood back up.

"Stay away from me and away from the Xavier institute OR ELSE."

If it had been Evan, he would have shoved the spike up Graydon's nose and into his brain. Prick deserved it, but if they just went around killing everyone they hated...they'd end up like Magneto. And that was a fate worse than death.

Pietro came back around, grinning, and wiping the small traces of blood he'd gotten on his hands from Creed on his towel. "See? I don't need an alpha _all_ of the time."

"Not all of it," Evan agreed. "Just most of it."

"Shut up." The speedster said half-heartedly, and wrapped an arm around Evan's shoulders. "Well this was FUN and all but it doesn't really help me with my problem. I still got, what, three days left until doomsday? And now there's no way I'm getting any help from my dad."

"His idea of help was shit in the first place." Evan replied. "There's plenty of people back at the institute who can help you out with this. People who will actually listen to what you want and back off when you tell them to."

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

"The Professor. Auntie O and Mr. McCoy. The Brotherhood. You should have seen it by the way, I think Blob was close to crying after you left. The X-men, even if you think we're a bunch of dorks and even if the Brotherhood and them never quite see eye to eye. Wanda-"

"Wanda?!"

"Yeah," Evan repeated. "Wanda. She's here now, probably kicking your dad's ass...She...I think she missed you a lot."

"I missed her a lot but what about her-"

"We have someone on it, and you're not going to believe who." It wasn't every day that the Brotherhood of Mutants, including their leader Mystique, teamed up to help the X-men. The fact they were still having minor squabbles, and getting on each other's nerves was nothing. They were actually in the same room, and had proven they could coexist without killing each other, that was the main point. "And...you have me too. To help you out in any way I possibly can."

"And why is that again? Just out of curiosity."

They'd already discussed this earlier. Pietro knew why. But there would always be a cocky side to him; a side that thrived off any attention he could be given. Luckily, Evan was willing to give. "Because you're my friend Pietro. My first real friend, my first real crush and my first real love."

The speedster hadn't heard that last part before. He cocked an eyebrow in surprise, and tilted his head slightly to the side. "When we were together back then....you loved me?"

"Yeah." Evan admitted, "I had a feeling I did...I mean it hurt like hell whenever you left or someone else got in the way...I just thought I was jealous but it was more the fact that I-...I loved you." He loved the dorky, happy, quirky Pietro Maximoff that he grew up with and after years apart. After years of watching Pietro fall apart at the seams, he was finally coming back. "And, to be honest, I'm not sure if I ever stopped."

"Evan..."

Pietro was an asshole. Pietro was selfish. Pietro was narcissistic. Pietro was reckless. Pietro was more screwed up than any other person he'd ever known...why would Evan love him?

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"I know you. You're doing that thing where you second guess yourself. Don't. Just believe and trust me when I say that I love you and tell me what you have to say."

Evan was kind. Evan was gentle with him when he needed to be. Evan could be hotheaded but they both were. Evan was sweet. Evan was always there for him when Pietro needed him to be. Evan was willing to risk his own safety to help Pietro, even when they weren't talking to each other. Evan was the person he thought of when he tried to imagine it was someone else touching him and not that moron Creed.

"I love you." Pietro stated softly. "I love you, Evan. I don't want to be with anybody else but you." You who came to help him whenever he needed it. You who knew that he wasn't weak and in need of saving _all_ the time. You who knew him and understood him better than anyone else. Even Wanda. Even his father. You who could help him become the guy he used to be before things started to turn sour. You who always had his back no matter how badly he fucked up. You who loved him in return.

Evan smiled, and leaned in to pull Pietro intro a kiss. They kept it soft and gentle, not too fast, just comfortable. When Evan pulled back, he saw Pietro was still smiling at him. He smiled back, and took hold of the Speedster's hand. "Come on," he said. "Before your sister kills your father and you loose your towel."

~~~~

Graydon scowled but said nothing as he watched his supposed-to-be mate wall out with that punk kid who'd attacked him. What the hell were they?! Monsters?! Aliens?! SHIELD kept a lot of secrets from even their own government, so we're these teens one of them?

Once he was certain they were gone, Graydon pulled the spike from his hand and tossed it aside. "Fuck!" He hissed at the pain searing through him, and started around on the bed for sometime he could use as a bandage until he could get to a proper hospital or clinic.

A sharp, searing pain spread from his arm down to his hand and Graydon let out a Yelp in surprise. He lifted his afflicted arm to look at his wound, and nearly screamed. Before his own eyes, he watched as his hand repaired itself. The flesh healed, the blood stopped flowing down his worst and arm, and after a couple seconds he couldn't tell that he had even been injured.

"What the hell..."

His flesh started to change color. Slowly it shifted from his normal caucasian skin tone to an almost yellow color. Not like old, rotten flesh but an almost bright shade. The pain in his arm and hand stopped, leaving the alpha just sitting there on the floor and starring at his miscolored hand.

"What the hell is happening to me?!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you expecting John feels when you started this chapter? Neither did I. They just kinda snuck their way in. 
> 
> Anyways guys, I have a thing to tell you about. Because I made you wait so long for this chia yet, and because there will be a wait on the next one, I would like to treat you all. As you know, I have a whole universe full of background information set up to help with the writing and consistency of this fic and the sequels I have planned. However I isn't know when those will be out so I have decided that I will answer any questions you may have about this fic's universe in the next chapter. 
> 
> All you have to do is write your question in the comments, and I will answer it at the end of the next chapter. Things like "What's Havok's A/B/O status and what is he up to in this fic" and "Is soso-character going to make an appearance in this universe?".
> 
> However, if the question involves spoilers for a future fic/chapter like "Why is John so emotional in this chapter" the answer may be a bit vague. I assure you all though, all questions will be answered so just fire away!
> 
> Thanks for reading, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being just about two months late with this! University has been eating my time! 
> 
> Thank you for reading Two Weeks, the spawn of my summer boredom, and I hope you have enjoyed yourself! I know I have enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Any questions about the universe it is set in, or about characters will be answered and I am debating finishing this story off with a part two. Until then.

Epilogue:

Before he left, with no particular destination in mind, Victor decided it would be best to drop in with his current employer and tell him how to contact the big cat. Leave on good terms, in case something came up and one needed the other. From what Victor understood, Magneto was still held up in that little ski lodge villa at Mount Arrow Rose. He waited a bit, not wanting to be caught in the middle of some X-men/Acolyte feud, before heading up.

The door was unlocked and nearly falling from its hinges. Victor took that as confirmation that the X-men had been here to try and liberate Pietro, but continued inside anyway. The boss may not be here still, but he would have left behind some stuff. Victor could pawn it for some quick cash, or return it to the metal manipulator to try and remain in his good graces. He would need to after failing to show up in this little fight.

He found John in the living room, grasping a half-empty bottle of firewater and having a whole conversation with himself.

"You get fired?" Victor asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

John took another long sip from his bottle before answering his former teammate's question. "I quit." Pietro was gone, Creed was gone, and the Australian could only hope that the X-men got to the Speedster before that human menace did anything to him. "Magneto's an ass."

That was true. Victor, for the longest time, only sided with the man because he had nowhere else to turn. John though...why did he care about Magneto's mission? Before he signed up, kid was a writer. He had three novels published, was on talk-shows down under, why would he give that up to be here as someone's goon? "I know sparky, but then why are you here?"

John set his bottle down on the nearby coffee table and looked up at the older mutant. "Why are you?" He asked.

"Got nowhere else to go."

"Same here." Was John's response, and he flipped back down onto the couch and into his pit of despair. "I can't go home."

Home. Australia. Was that how Magneto got the kid onboard? By exploiting his mutation and having him loose control in his hometown? Victor sat down beside the younger mutant, and was tempted to try and offer him some comfort through slight contact, a hand on the shoulder or something, but decided against it. "Is that how you ended up here?"

How many years had they been working together and Victor never thought to ask before now? Then again, he and Pyro never actually talked before now.

The Australian shook his head. "No. Old guy promised me that...he'd help me see my kid if I sided with him. Fight for custody." Though in hindsight, had this happened Magneto probably just would have kidnapped the child and returned it to Pyro. He doubted Erik could stand being in a courtroom for that long.

"You have a child?!" Something about Pyro reproducing was enough to fuel Victor's nightmares for the next century.

Again, the younger mutant nodded. "His name is Graham. From what I remember he likes dinosaurs, pirate stories and meatloaf. I don't know much anymore. Last time I saw him he was three."

Victor didn't know much about Pyro but he did know his age. He was only twenty-free. "How old is Graham now?"

"Eight."

Jesus. Five years since he last saw his kid. And he was younger than most of those damn X-men when the child had been born! He could remember hearing somewhere, that Australians were very traditional when it came to A/B/O, but Jesus...fifteen was too young to be a parent.

"Graham...is he in foster care now, or does he live with your parents or...?"

Victor honestly didn't know why he cared. Maybe it was a need to get his mind off what had recently transpired here and find somewhere else to go. He could like Australia. Lot of things to fight there. And maybe if he had his kid back, Pyro wouldn't be as...unstable. He could level out for the child's sake.

Pyro's snatched the bottle up off the table and downed the rest of it for courage before answering. "Nah. He's there with my mate. Fucking asshole. I guess you could say, we're trying separation."

"And they still won't let you see your kid?"

John nodded, "Perks of being a fucking omega. You don't want kids, then you're forced to have a kid, then they take 'Im away from ya!" Being here with Pietro about to be sold of to Creed...it was like looking in a mirror and watching the same train wreck. That had been the last straw in his membership of the Acolytes.

There was nothing else for him to do here and Victor needed to get away as quickly as possible. John needed someone to help him get his kid back. Hopefully there'd be some kind of fighting involved. He stood up and, in possibly his first act of kindness towards this scrawny mutant since their first encounter, offered him a hand in getting up. "Come on."

"Where?"

"I have to deliver a message to someone, but then we're going to get your son back."

~~~~

Pietro showered for over two hours straight before finally deciding he'd done all he could to get the crap he'd rubbed onto his skin back at the lodge off and turned the water off. Kurt still wasn't back yet, but it felt weird using his room for this, so he and Evan relocated to his cramped little room at the end of the hall. At least here they would have some privacy until his heat was over. Just a few more days...

Hank promised him that his next heat wouldn't be so bad. That this was the result of a build-up, and when he had presented it was like the flood gates opening. Next time it wouldn't be as painful or as stressful, and by having a mate he would be able to find relieve much sooner. As he cleansed himself of everything Graydon Creed, Evan and Storm were handling the paper-part of becoming mates. They were both too young to sign on without an adult present. Storm happily obliged to help. They would be back any moment.

The speedster grabbed a towel off the rack, wrapped it around his waist, and headed out into the bedroom to await them. A signature, a consummating fuck and he was in the clear! No more threats, no more arranged marriages, no more Magneto!

He opened the door to find someone waiting for him.

"Jamie," Pietro said, "What do you want?"

As far as alphas went, Pietro could handle Jamie. The kid was tiny, and inexperienced when it came to fighting. Pietro could kick his ass. So he would let him sit in the room, and ask him whatever questions he wanted.

Jamie rubbed his hands together and kept his gaze directed at the floor, avoiding eye contact. "...we were really worried about you..."

"I'm okay kid-"

"Yeah but, like, this just proves our worst fears. You're powerful, Pietro. You're the son of a very resourceful and powerful man, and you're an omega. A lot of people are going to try and take advantage of that-"

Oh god not this again. Pietro got sick of hearing how badly his status and father would impact his life weeks ago. "Jamie, I-"

"You're going to need to mate immediately. Like as soon as possible-"

"JAMIE-"

"And so I offer myself up for the cause."

Pietro was going to kill this kid. Whatever side of the mutant issue, whether teammate or foe, Pietro was going to kill him. Jamie just sat there on the edge of the bed, grinning and arms wide open, expecting an embrace. He expected Pietro, Pietro who barely escaped being stuck with Graydon fucking Creed forever, to run into his arms and take him as a mate. While they spoke in Evan's room. Had his mother dropped Jamie on his head repeatedly throughout infancy?

The speedster wasn't fucking around anymore. "Get out." He barked. Jamie's from vanished, and he lowered his hands to his side.

"Come on!" He pleaded. "I'd be the perfect mate! My powers would make me the best alpha ever! You need someone to do all the chores, I got you! How about someone to watch kids? Three Jamies will cover that! How about someone to handle all of your sexual needs-"

"JESUS CHRIST JAMIE-"

"You ever have an orgy with only one person?"

The older of the two paled considerably and grabbed the younger by the collar of his shirt. Before Jamie could say another word he found himself downstairs in the kitchen and alone. Even from there he could hear the sound of Evan's bedroom door slamming shut and knew that he'd blown the closest thing to a shot he was ever going to have with Quicksilver.

~~~

Hours after Graydon left his campaign office to meet up with someone he referred to as an old friend, his secretary received a call. Caller ID stated it was Creed, and she answered immediately. "Hello again Mr. Creed. How is your evening going? Well, I hope! What can I-"

There was some kind of rustling on the other end. Graydon spoke slowly, his words slurring together, and sounding shaky. "Olivia, my friend, I need you to do something for me immediately."

This was very much unlike her employer. When he spoke, his words stood with confidence. He was now struggling to speak. What had this old friend done to him?! "Graydon? Is everything okay? What's happening-"

"-...I'm pulling out of the election. Something ...something has come up that I'm afraid I cannot ignore..."

"Gray, you can't be serious-"

"I'll explain it all someday. I promise. Just...I just gotta look into some stuff right now. Can you help me with that?"

"Y-yeah of course...what do you-"

"-I want you to look up all...all records of strange activity around my hometown in the 1970s. You c-can do that right? You're smart, you got that big computer...any existing government files, private corporation files....I need them immediately."

"Al-alright but why-"

"-I'll explain later. I promise. Just get them back to me as soon as you can."

"Graydon you're scaring me-"

The other line went dead.

~~~~~~

"So when are you going to tell Pietro?"

Wanda's face was expressionless. She stared out the window in Xavier's office, standing alongside the man revealed to be the missing half of her parentage, and watching as the weather outside changed. The sky grew dark as clouds crept in, and in the distance thunder roared and lightning clapped. She supposed it was fitting.

Once upon a time, Charles would have said when he believed Pietro to be ready. But he would never be. There was no way a person could ever be ready for such a bombshell and his son had been through so much in the past two weeks...he didn't need more on his plate right now.

"When he is out of heat." He replied.

Wanda took the news surprisingly well. Charles suspected it had something to do with the trust they had built up in their one-on-one sessions. That and he had allowed her escape from the hospital after so many years, and a chance to beat her father.

Charles didn't know if she had killed Erik. He didn't doubt that she would, of given the chance, but he preferred not to think about such a morbid thing. If Magneto was still alive after his encounter with his daughter he would make his presence known. In the meantime Wanda was going to stay here and continue her lessons with Agatha. Raven had left. Charles knew not where, but he hoped and preyed that wherever she went, she found peace. Rogue...she watched her leave with tears building in her eyes, but she did not allow them to spill. She was out now. Gone to see a movie with the Cajun bloke who had been poking around earlier. As for Evan and Pietro...

That was their business.

"Would you like some tea?" He asked Wanda, deciding that watching the weather was doing nothing to help their cause. "We have a wonderful selection of blends downstairs in the kitchen."

Wanda cracked a smile, "I think I would." She said. She hadn't drank tea in years, not since she was a child. Not since she was a toddler living in this very place that she could call home again.

~~~~~~~

There were people specifically employed for this type of work. Spies and mercenaries were in high demand these days. All Graydon had to do was find the one most qualified for the job. Someone who was familiar with what had gone on. Someone like him.

"-there's this girl, they say she's lucky-"

"-luck isn't going to cut it here. I need professional. With a plan and not just dumb luck."

"...well there's a team I can recommend. They come two for one, but they're a bit...unusual."

"How so?"

"They're just weird. Something happened to them a couple years ago. Left them all paranoid. But good at this type of work. You need answers and they'll get them for you."

It wasn't like Graydon had a lot of options right now. He sighed before replying. "Alright, alright. How much and where can I find them?"

"Hard to tell. They move fast. Last time I checked they were in St.Petersburg...As for price I recommend checking it with them first but-"

"But what?"

"...You're looking into...restricted Canadian military projects...of the early 1970s...?"

"Yeah. So? I was told that you would take any job. What does that have to do with anything?"

"...They'll do it Pro-Bono. No charge."

Graydon nearly choked on the very air he was breathing and actually dropped his phone. It took him a second to regain his composure, and scrambled to pick it back up. "What?! This job could involve....anything! Murder, theft, breaching government security....TERRORISM...and they'll...do it for free...? Why?! What's going on?!"

"...Let's just say they share a personal connection with the something that happened in the 70s."

Graydon didn't have time to waste arguing about something so frivolous. "They'll do," he barked into the phone. "Tell them that they're hired and I'll be waiting for them in Calgary."

~~~~~~

"Are you alright?"

"No."

It was going to be heaven; after this Pietro wasn't going to have to worry about all the shit thrown at him these past few days. He had finally landed his former-best friend, his sister was back and still loved him, and Graydon Creed could suck an egg!

He still didn't feel right.

The speedster sat down at the foot of the bed, ringing his hands together and trying to find a way to explain his sudden nervousness. Evan sat down beside him, listening and waiting, his mate in every sense except physically.

It took Pietro a while to figure out what was making him act like this. "I'm fertile as fuck."

"That's a key factor in why we have to do this now and not wait." Evan replied. "Your fertility is quite...obvious."

Pietro nodded, "Yeah, yeah, but I mean like...I was super fertile before. Like prime pedigree right here. Perfect for carrying on the family line and all that bullshit."

Evan paled, but nodded to show he understood. "I wouldn't use those words to describe yourself but...yeah. I follow."

"And...then Creed and my...and my...and Magneto boasted that by making me use that French shit. So now, I'm like extreme fertile! Like dangerously fertile!"

"I think you've said the word "fertile" about twenty times in the past five minutes, but yeah, I follow."

"Well...that's it. I'm worried about that."

"So what? It's not like..." Evan stopped mid-sentence, everything finally clicking together inside his head. Pietro had expressed numerous times before that he didn't wish to have children, let alone right out of the gate. "You're worried that when we-"

"Yeah."

Quite frankly, Evan couldn't blame him. They had both seen that video, and if their roles had been switched, if Evan had been dealt the card of omega and Pietro his alpha, he would have felt the same. He smiled, and placed his hands on Pietro's cheeks, cupping his face and looking deep into Pietro's eyes.

"Whatever happens, I'm not going to make you go through with something you don't want. From this point out, we're partners. I got your back, you got mine. No one is forced to do anything. So whatever happens here, we deal with together."

It wasn't much of an epic speech. The one in Independence Day was far more inspiring and uplifting, but Evan felt that it had gotten the job done. In a flash Pietro was kissing him and pushing him back onto their bed. Fears put to bed, he could enjoy what was about to happen next.

~~~~~~

They moved quickly. As soon as their contractor said something about Top Secret Canadian Ops, both were onboard with the idea of taking the job.

They arrived in Calgary in a puff of dark violet, sulfur smelling smoke. A woman, dressed from head to toe in the purest whites, and a man who bundled up under thick layers of clothes so that only his ice cold blue eyes were visible.

Perhaps now they could get answers. Perhaps now they could find out what had happened to their slaughtered family and bring justice to them. Perhaps Graydon Creed held the answers to what had happened the night they had lost everything, and everyone they cared about.

"Are you ready?" The man asked, his voice gruff and mumbled by the scarf he'd wrapped around his mouth.

His partner nodded, "As always Azazel." 

**Author's Note:**

> (1). This is trying to keep pace with a season two timeline, I.E. Before Evan left and mutants became public knowledge. Seeing as Evan is the youngest, and he and Pietro were close rivals growing up, I made them the same age group. Arguably, at this time in the series Scott and Jean (the eldest) are about 17. Kurt, who is in Evan's classes, is about a year younger since they did not graduate together. Therefore I am saying he, Pietro and Evan are 16.


End file.
